Business

‘Nigeria Not Ripe For Honey Exportation’

Published

7 years ago

August 23, 2017

An official of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development says the country cannot export honey because it produces less than three per cent of its current needs.
A Director in the Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services of the ministry, Dr Gideon Mshelbwala, made the statement in Abuja, on the occasion of the 2017 National Honey Bee Day.
The theme for the celebration is “For a Natural High: Smoke Bees’’.
Represented by Mrs Dooshima Kioage, Deputy Director in the department, Mshelbwala said the country had large natural land resources with varied vegetation that could be great potential for beekeeping.
“With an estimated population of about 186 million, fallen oil prices, an import driven economy and insecurity, there is a huge deficit of food required to feed the populace.
“Nigeria currently produces about 15,000 tonnes of honey and 2,500 tonnes of bee wax annually, less than three per cent of her potential 800,000 and 70,000 tonnes respectively.
“This is also the case with other agricultural commodities.
“The upside of the situation is that Nigeria has resources that, if assiduously harnessed, can scale up food production for internal consumption, improved livelihoods and export for foreign exchange earnings,’’ he said.
Mshelbwala said apart from pollination activities, bees produce honey, bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly, bee wax and bee venom.
He said it had been documented that honey was a great source of simple carbohydrates, excellent energy and a healthy Glycemic.
Mshelbwala added that bee pollen contains approximately 40 per cent protein and all the nutrients required by humans while royal jelly contained minerals like calcium, copper, iron, phosphorous, silicon, sulphur, potassium, among others.
He said that the focus of the present government was to increase national honey production, pollination activity for more cash crops and participation of youths and women in beekeeping as a business.
Mshelbwala said the government would also introduce best technological practices and standards in beekeeping and honey production for increased income and foreign exchange earnings.
He said the government would train beekeepers and crop farmers in conjunction with other organisations.
Director, Commodities and Products Inspectorate Department in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ms Omololu Opeewe, said beekeeping could be used to preserve the entire ecosystem and natural biodiversity.
Represented by Assistant Director in the department, Mr Sunday Jaja, said the country had recognised the importance of bees and beekeeping for ensuring food security.
Opeewe said the country needed to do more on beekeeping and the consumption of honey for a healthy nation.
He urged Nigerians to key into honey production.
National President, Federation of Bee Keepers Association of Nigeria, Mr Ojeleye Bidemi, said the day was to create awareness on the benefits of bees and honey.
Bidemi, said the country could not export honey because the production was still very low.
“This is a day set aside in a year to celebrate the golden insect and to enlighten the public about its roles in crop pollination for the availability of foods and other numerous value chains,’’ he said.
According to him, it is a known fact that agricultural growth and crop productivity largely depend on bee pollination services that have ecological and agricultural values.
He commended the government for the immense support given to apiculture in Nigeria and some development organisations.
Bidemi said in an effort to curb adulteration, the association, ministries, departments and development agencies were collaborating to train stakeholders.
As part of the celebration, officials from relevant ministries carried out an awareness walk from Eagle Square to Unity Fountain.
They carried inscription such as “bee for security and nutrition, bee for industrial raw materials and development, bee for trade and economic diversification and bee for Bio Resources and Technology Development’’.

Business

Fuel Scarcity: IPMAN threatens shutdown over bridging claims

Published

6 hours ago

May 3, 2024

The Tide

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Depot Chairmen Forum, has exonerated its members from the current fuel scarcity in the country.

According to IPMAN, this is caused by its inability to source petroleum products.

The IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum also threatened to withdraw its services over non-payment of N200 billion bridging claims by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to its members, since 2022.

Alhaji Yahaya Alhassan, the Chairman, of the Forum said this while briefing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday.

Alhassan said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) was the sole importer of the product, but the marketers could not source products from NNPC Ltd. deport, rather from the private depots at high rate.

“We cannot buy fuel from the private depots at N950 and transport the product from Lagos to the North and other parts of the country with N2 million and still sell it at N900 or N1, 000.

“It is expedient for us to state that we are more pained by the non-availability of petroleum products in the country, which has given rise to another round of untold hardship for Nigerians.

“Contrary to claims that IPMAN members are hoarding Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known as fuel, we would like to categorically state that PMS scarcity is wholly triggered by inability to get fuel from NNPC and not IPMAN,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the NNPC Ltd. Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye said the disruption was due to logistical issues which had since been resolved.

“We currently have an availability of products exceeding 1.5 billion litres, which can last for at least 30 days. Unfortunately, we experienced a three-day disruption in distribution due to logistical issues, which has since been resolved.

“However, as you know, overcoming such disruptions typically requires double the amount of time to return to normal operations.

“Some folks are taking advantage of this situation to maximise profits. Thankfully, product scarcity has been minimal lately, but these folks might be exploiting the situation for unwarranted gain,’’ Soneye said.

He however, said the lines would clear out soon.

On the non-payment of bridging claims, the IPMAN forum said it was distressed and depressed by the laidback attitude of the NMDPRA towards the survival its member’s businesses, arising from its refusal in paying the claims.

“It is with deep frustration that we have assembled here today as the IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum. It is also disheartening to note that some of our members have completely shut down businesses and retrenched employees.

“As businessmen and women, our members acquired bank loans to keep their fuel retail outlets running on a daily basis across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria in order to serve the teeming population of Nigerians,’’ Alhassan said.

He recalled that Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), at a stakeholders meeting in February mandated the NMDPRA management to clear the entire debt in 40 days.

“However, today, we have crossed the 40 days’ time lapse given to the NMDPRA to clear the debt, and it is shameful to state that only the paltry sum of N13 billion has been paid, ignoring minister’s directive.

“We are not happy with the indiscriminate increment in the issuance and renewal of Sales and Storage Licence, by the NMDPRA, and the subsequent delays in acquiring the licence, which our members are recently subjected to.

“We are also calling on President Bola Tinubu to look into this unwholesome figure which is highly detrimental to our business and reverse it forthwith, as it is bound to impact negatively on the masses.

“We are poised to take far reaching decisions that may cripple the supply and sales of petroleum products across Nigeria if our demands are not met within the shortest period of time.

“We are collectively prepared to withdraw our services, shut down every single outlet, and suspend lifting of products forthwith till our demands are fully met, and the consequences will be terrible.

“We call on our members to however remain resolute and law abiding, even as we draw close to the immediate ultimatum for our demands to be met by the NMDPRA,’’ the chairman said.

Reacting to the IPMAN’s claims, the Acting Head, Corporate Communications, NMDPRA, Seiyefa Osanebi said the bridging claims payment was ongoing.

“The bridging claims payment is always an ongoing process,” she said.

Maritime

Shippers’ Council Registers 160 Port Operators

Published

4 days ago

April 29, 2024

The Tide

The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) says it has registered 160 Port stakeholders into its Regulated Port Service Provider and Users platform since the initiative began in 2023.
Executive Secretary, NSC, Mr Pius Akutah, made the disclosure on the sideline of a sensitisation programme by the commission for port operators in Lagos, with the theme, “Regulated Port Service Provider and Users”.
Represented by the Director, Consumer Affairs, Chief Cajetan Agu, Akutah emphasised the significance of the programme for stakeholders.
He said the sensitisation programme was the second edition after its commencement during the last quarter of 2023.
The Secretary said the 160 registered port operators consist of agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, individual port users as well as service providers.
“We invited the ports stakeholders for enlightening them on the processes for online registration of Regulated Port Service Provider and Users.
“We have demonstrated to them how to register and how to make payment and we were able to present before them the various categories of the registration.
“The rate of payment is also in the registration. The payment of each group depends on the operation. A shipper pays N30,000, terminal operators and shipping companies pay N300,000, truckers also pay N30,000, while some pay N50,000 and N100,000.
“The Council was able to intimate them on the benefits, because port users benefit more as we help to interface on reducing port charges from time to time”, Akutah said.
He said that there was a need to continue to work with port operators to stop delays and eliminate high costs to make the port efficient.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Stakeholders, Service, NSC, Mr Celestine Akujobi, said “the sensitisation exercise was important for the council to enable us bring all the port stakeholders together”.
According to him, this is to avoid challenges during the implementation of the council’s responsibilities.
“By the time we introduce sanctions on defaulters, no operators will complain that he or she is not aware of the registration.
“I’m happy with the turnout of this sensitisation. This shows that the operators are well informed of the statutory friction of the council as the port regulator.
“The final implementation will commence as soon as we discover that all the operators have keyed into the portal.
“We are engaging other ports across the country and we’re hopeful that before the last quater of 2024, the council will implement sanctions on defaulting operators”, Akujobi said.
Earlier, Vice Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwards (NAGAFF), Dr Ifeanyi Emoh, said port challenges were enormous, adding that they originated from some of the government agencies.

Emoh urged the council to look into regulating other government agencies, so that there could be a window through which they can collect port charges collectively instead of indiscriminately.

By: Chinedu Wosu