Countries within the Caribbean region have indicated interest in assisting Nigeria in boosting agriculture and food security, especially in this period of food shortages. Food security is essential for a healthy society.
The Consular General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Levi Odoe, made this known while briefing Abuja yesterday on the need for Nigeria to exploit the skill and expertise of the Caribbean nations to boost its food production capacity.
Odoe, also the envoy of the Republic of Guyana to Africa on Trade and Investment, said, “My organisation is here to promote agriculture and food security because of the necessity of food. This method we are suggesting is about planting in your gardens. “I think by a simple method of backyard gardening, we would have more food.”
He noted that bilateral relations between Nigeria and the Caribbean should focus more on agriculture instead of oil, and even as he appealed to the Nigerian government to revive the culture of encouraging subsistence farming of okra, melon, cassava, yam, and raised animals like fowl, sheep, and goats to sustain themselves.
On efforts to strengthen cooperation between Nigeria and Caribbean countries, Odoe said some Nigerian entrepreneurs are already exploiting the opportunities presented by the South-South Cooperation to expand exports to countries such as the Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, and Guyana. He pointed out that some countries have had to lease land for agriculture in the islands and ship it back to their country.
He expressed confidence that with the existing good relations between the Nigerian government and countries in the Caribbean, more direct flight routes are being created besides Antigua, including Guyana, St Lucia, and the rest.
He said, “From Nigeria to Cape Verde is a six-hour flight, but if you want to travel to the Caribbean now, you have to first go to London for six hours and then from London to the Caribbean another eight hours, or you go via the USA. And to even get their transit visa is almost impossible.
“We have to remove all the bottlenecks to the trade relationship between the Caribbean and Africa, and when you talk about Africa, Nigeria is the most populous black nation on earth. If Nigeria fails, the rest of the black race has failed. With Nigeria succeeding, the rest of the back succeeds. We are in the Caribbean with Nigeria as a family.”
He decried Nigeria’s inability to take advantage of its membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO), stressing that it is big enough to ship its agro-products to Caribbean and Latin American markets.
He said, “Nigeria is a member of the WTO, but the membership is silent because the country is not using the privileges and opportunities that will make Nigerian products available in South Latin America, the Caribbean, and others. Nigerian products are excellent, but the country must create a structure allowing it to access the markets for its goods in the Caribbean.
“Nigerian products, as a member of the WTO, can be brought to the Caribbean, South and Latin American countries. I went to Venezuela, where I saw some footwear imported from Nigeria. The Chamber of Commerce and international organisations should look for markets for Nigerian products. The Caribbean, Latin and South America are huge markets for Nigeria.”
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