The Executive Director /
Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exprot Promotion Council (NEPC) Mr Olusegun Awolowo has said that in a bid to efficiently service its export markets, the body has begun to establish structures across the country to fast track local marketing.
The NEPC boss who spoke at a forum with the theme “Organising merchant operators into “Export Marketing Group to address product supply challenges” in Lagos, last Wednesday started that to enable Nigerian exporters capture the international market share, a marketing structure that connects production with exports must be put in place.
According to Awolowo who was represented by the Head, Market Deveopment Department of NEPC, Mr Mathew Iranloye, the move was necessary in checking marketing challenges like product trace ability, break in  supply chain including problems associated with low coordinated local marketing.
He stated that the council was dismayed to observe that about 8 per  cent of agricultural commodities exports including fresh and processed food items were done by merchant exporters.
He expressed regret that the development indicated that the product are collected from the open markets.
“It is worthy to note that effective and efficient servicing of export market is a function of local marketing structure a nation is able to put in place.
“The practice of merchant exporters buying from the open market poses a challenge  to the export environment he said.
He said intences of tracing exported produce and quality issues in relation to the frequent alerts on aflatoxin in line with best practices amongst others remain as source of concern that should be addressed.
He said the establishment of “Export Marketing Groups” was the only hope in addressing the issue.
“EMG would not only determine supply flows and consistency in quality and standards of products from Nigeria” he said.
He added that NEPC would build strong local marketing structures for agric exportable products,