Nigeria`s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Mahmood-Abubakar, has urged beekeepers to embrace best standards and practices that can stimulate the export of honey to boost the economy through opportunities in the AfCFTA.
The minister, speaking at the 3rd Nigerian Youth Beekeepers Conference in Abuja on Tuesday, said that the honey market would be optimally harnessed with the highest standards for export.
The minister was represented at the summit by Winnie Lai-solaria, Director, Animal Husbandry and Services of the ministry.
“Our attention is drawn to the fact that if we don’t put our house in order, we cannot participate fully in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA); this is a wake-up call for us all.
“A call to work together as a country, to highlight the areas that unite us, reminding us that we need to work together as professionals to ensure that the efforts of our youths are not taken for granted.
“The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has been working assiduously with youth beekeepers, providing opportunity and spaces for the youth beekeepers to keep doing their business.
“MDAs must move in synergy to achieve this; we need to encourage our youths. We should give them a pat on the back when they are doing well; let’s examine what progress we have made over the last one year,” he said.
According to him, except the system and institutions that should move their products to other shores of Africa begin to work toward achieving this, they will be moving in circles.
Dr Ezra Yakusak, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), in his address, said the time had come for the youth to take up the responsibility and ensure improved conditions for bees.
“There are over 20,000 species of bees in existence worldwide and their importance to the ecosystem cannot be overemphasised.
“Youths should rise up to take responsibility as nature conservationists, for improved conditions for bees towards ensuring security of pollination, food security, biodiversity and the ecosystem,” he said.
While commending the youth, Mr John Taylor, Head of Trade and Economics, European Union delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said for a business to be sustainable, the market needed to be regulated.
“Good honey is considered a niche market, it is expensive to produce and good honey commands a premium price; standards need to be established and of course, verified.
“For Nigerian producers to be successful on the international market place, I suggest every effort should be made to meet the highest standards possible,’’ he said.
