MAN Presents Blueprint On Manufacturing Development

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), last Wednesday said that it had aided the zero per cent waiver on agricultural value chain to encourage processing.

The President of the association, Dr Kola Jamodu, said this at a media presentation of the “MAN Blueprint for accelerated development of manufacturing in Nigeria’’, in Lagos.

He raised the hope that Nigeria would soon move from a consuming nation to become a producing nation.

According to him, the duty on importation of enzymes for cassava processing has been reduced to zero per cent.

“We must look at the entire value chain of agriculture. Only three weeks ago, the government reduced the duty on enzymes to zero per cent.

“We want the government to also reduce the duty on machinery that will aid the manufacturing sector too,’’ Jamodu said.

He also said that MAN had embraced backward integration for the agriculture sector.

Jamodu said that no fewer than 250,000 farmers had been engaged by various manufacturing companies in the country.

“So many food and beverage manufacturing companies have engaged more than 250,000 farmers for the cultivation of cassava and maize.’’

Jamodu further said that the manufacturing sector was contributing 18 per cent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).