Agro-commodities worth roughly 17,000MT have started to be exported to China by the National Youth Service Corps in collaboration with Zeenab Foods Ltd, the company that runs the Nigeria Exporters Hub.
In response to customer demand, the partners are exporting soybean, cacciatore, sesame seeds, and ginger.
Omotade Folorunso, Director of NYSC’s Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, and Victor Ayemere, Chairman of Zeenab Foods, announced this in Abuja at the opening of the first container of agricultural products that corps members will export through the local business.
Ayemere, who spoke at the ceremony, stated that the initiative’s goal was to shift Nigerian teenagers’ perspective from one of dependence on imports to one of export-oriented thinking.
In order to ensure the continuity of the ongoing sale of agricultural commodities, he said the federal government gave Zeenab the authority to establish and run the Nigeria Export Trade House in China and other nations in the far east.
“Our aim is to get as many people as possible to join in the export trade to China, and presently we have a demand for 17,000MT of agro-produce and we are still trying to meet up this demand.“
According to him, the goal for the current season was to export 100 containers of cacciatore, 100 containers of sesame seeds, and 100 containers of soybeans.
He went on to say that if exporters don’t adhere to the requirements, their products will be rejected.
“When orders are placed, there are specifications to which the exporter must adhere. In our own case, we have quality control officers who make sure our goods are in line with the specifications.”
According to the NYSC director, Zeenab Foods helped corps members export agricultural products because doing so was in keeping with NYSC goals.
He saidd, “It is in line with the NYSC objectives of adding value to the corps members in the one year of national service, such that they will not become liabilities to themselves, their parents and the country.”
