Promoting Local Agro-Processing in Nigeria: Way Forward
Abstract
Despite the economic growth reported in recent years, many African countries including Nigeria are facing an economic setback. Nigeria is importing a lot of processed foods despite its enamours potential in producing huge raw materials from the abundance of natural and human resources. Processing of locally grown crops and promoting the production and consumption of underutilised and locally processed crops will widen the horizon of the country's economy and improve the nutrition, health and livelihood of the majority of the population. The article is intended to propose broad plans that will provide a seamless direction on how the local agro-processing industry will be holistically promoted. The ideas in this research were gathered from the pool of literature published online between 2016 and 2021. Promoting agro-processing will offer solutions to many Nigerian social and economic problems; will reduce postharvest losses and make more foods available, reduce poverty by employing many, reduce rural-urban migration, improve utilisation of local raw materials, increase government revenue, improve local technology, diversify the economy and preserve foreign reserve by reducing imports. The potentials of local agro-processing will be realised when a conducive atmosphere is granted for large-scale production in addition to the provision of the right knowledge and skills, adequate access to loans, developing local technologies, provision of basic infrastructure in rural areas and enacting policies that will promote local agro-processing. Achieving this require sincere commitments from the leaders at all levels of government.
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