By the use of hybrid seeds and sound agronomic principles, the Export Trade Group (ETG) on Thursday revealed ongoing intentions to increase the productivity and profitability of Nigerian farmers.
During a press conference discussing its activities in the Nigerian agriculture sector with incentives open to Nigerians, ETG made this disclosure.
Ashish Lakhotia, the Chief Executive Officer of ETG AGRT Inputs, emphasized to journalists that the difficulty of farmers’ access to farm inputs is resolved so that the farmers have good seeds for high yields and profitability.
He asserts that ETG has been collaborating with several Sub-Saharan African governments, private sector groups, and extension officers to inform farmers about policy formulation, best agricultural practices, and extension officers themselves.
Lakhotia revealed that ETG employs a sizable group of agronomists to work with farmers.
“For agri inputs, but more importantly, to create a sense of urgency to go for the best practices so that the yield goes up significantly.
“We believe that Nigeria is the largest importer and distributor of agri inputs in Sub-Saharan Africa and we want to continue on that track to work together.
“One of the challenges that farmers face is accessibility to farm inputs, and for us, the important thing is to go to the last point so that the accessibility problem is solved.
“We are looking for an enabling environment and to create an affordable input programme, which farmers really see beneficial to them, these are some of the things that we do together for building a sustainable agriculture in Sub Saharan Africa.”
According to Dr. Iyad Takrouri, Global Head of Agrochem and Seed Business at ETG, Dubai, they are working with farmers to help them get the most out of their produce so they can increase production.
“The farmer must succeed in order for us to succeed. So we are a commercial entity and we are here as an investor but we have to make sure that we are providing the best solutions for the farmers and that they are getting the best outcome for them because it’s a continuous business.
“They need to invest in herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and to use the best seed. So at ETG, we are providing the farmers with the best seed quality, the best and the latest insecticides, fungicides and other crop protection that are helping them to combat pests that are attacking the crop and also getting the highest deals and the best quality seeds on time.
“We are here to stay and we are committed to Nigeria, and we know that Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa and the highest populated country. So we are here to stay.
“We want to be here for hundreds of years as long as we can. So this is why we have to make sure that the farmers are succeeding and in order for us to prosper and to grow, we are here to provide the best solutions and we want the farmers to profit to succeed and to prosper because this is the future for us and for our industry and for the people in Nigeria and across the world”, he said.
Farmers and agro-dealers are included in the new agreement made by ETG, according to Adulrauf Lawal, Deputy President of the Nigeria Agro Input Dealers Association, NAIDA.
Since its founding in 1967, ETG has grown to become one of the largest and fastest-growing integrated agricultural conglomerates in sub-Saharan Africa, with operations in over 48 nations.
