Shippers under the aegis of the Association of West Africa Exporters Maritime Professionals (AWAEMP) has disclosed that the fourth quarter of 2020 will experience bumper harvest of cocoa and sesame seed in a bid to boost exportation of Nigerian produces.
To that effect , the exporters also called on the Federal Government to put in place adequate mechanism to encourage seamless flow of export cargoes inward the seaports for onward shipping overseas.
President of the association , Olubunmi Olumekun in an exclusive chat ,expressed concerns over setbacks faced by exporters of Nigerian produces, calling on relevant authorities to assist shippers from unnnessary delays along the port corridors.
Olumekun disclosed that cocoa and sesame seed , located within the south west, South South regions of the country spend close to six hours from the farms or warehouses to Lagos but lamented that longer days are spent accessing the seaports, which in turn account for huge losses.
For export to thrive, Olumekun explained that an additional seven days would be wasted for the cargoes laden trucks to gain access into the two seaports , describing it as frustration and discouragement on the part of the shippers.
“This is the peak season for cocoa harvest and we all are aware of the fact that cocoa is the largest export till date . Cocoa harvest will start in September down to December. Same goes to sesame seed.
“At least one million tons of cocoa will be harvested this season ,while sesame seed will be around seven to five hundred thousand tons.
“Aside these two major export, there are also smaller commodities under this peak season due for export but in January cashew nuts will start as well.
“We understand the body language of the government on the need to boost export and that is why we want to inform them ahead because it will be better to put in place a process that can encourage us to access the ports at the right time so that we ship these items without hindrances.
These produces are essential commodities, they have the tendency to perish if they should spend longer days on the roads ,so government needs to help us out by fast-tracking movement of export into the ports.
He recalled that export has come to stay and government needs to be involved in prioritizing cargoes of such nature.
Asked about the level of extortion by security agencies on export against the backdrop of import , Olumekun who doubles as the Vice President, Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN) , stated that ” There has been drastic reduction on extortion by security personnel along the corridors due to the volume of export against what we have in import.
By Roland Ekama
