An agribusiness firm, Export Trading Group, ETG, has expressed commitment to addressing issues of inaccessibility of farm inputs, and quality seeds among Nigeria farmers.
Ashish Lakhotia, chief executive officer at ETG Inputs, disclosed that the firm has developed modalities to ensure farmers have good seeds for high yields and increased profitability.
“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 development programme, which will be beneficial to the farmers, these are some of the things that we do together to build a sustainable agriculture system in sub-Saharan Africa.”
“We support agri inputs, but more importantly, to create a sense of urgency towards promoting best practices so that farm yield goes up significantly.”
According to Lakhotia, ETG has been working with various governments in sub-Saharan Africa to educate farmers on policy formulations, with private sector organizations to educate farmers on the best agricultural practices, and working with extension officers on best agricultural practices.
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ETG was established in 1967, as one of the largest and fastest growing integrated agricultural conglomerates in sub-Saharan Africa, and growing integrated agricultural conglomerates present across over 48 countries.
Alluding to the fact that ETG coming into Nigeria’s agricultural sector is to change the narrative with high-level farm inputs, the Global Head of Agrochem and Seed Business, ETG, Dubai, Iyad Takrouri, said, at ETG works with the farmers to ensure maximum production.
“The farmer must succeed 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.
“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 will help to curb cases of pests that are attacking the crop and also get 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 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 our industry and the people in Nigeria and across the world.”
In his remarks, Adulrauf Lawal, deputy president of Nigeria Agro Input Dealers Association (NAIDA) said farmers and agro-dealers are part of the new deal brought by ETG, adding that as time goes on the association will check the products ETG will bring to farmers on safety and others.
