Nigeria loses a whopping N50 million daily to the importation of pineapples despite producing about 1,607,200 metric tons per annum, placing the country as the eighth largest producer of the crop in the world, an Agriculturist, Amb. Oluwasegun Alabi has said. Addressing a news conference at the National Assembly on Monday, August 26, Alabi said that despite its comparative advantage, the country was importing pineapple from Ghana and Togo ranked as the 13th and 16th producer of pineapple in the world by the Food and Agricultural Organisation.
He said Nigeria was only able to meet 50 per cent of its pineapple needs annually, adding that despite the high demand for Pineapple from Asian countries, Nigeria has not been able to produce enough to meet the growing international demand. He said further that the pineapple being cultivated in Nigeria does not meet the required standard for industrial use because the farmers failed to comply with good agricultural practices resulting in subpar fruit quality which makes them unsuitable for export and industrial use. Alabi, the CEO of Davidorlah Farms, stressed that pineapples are the fifth most consumed fruit in the world and have a unique position in the global market as a luxury item.
Despite the increasing global demand, Nigeria’s agricultural sector has yet to capitalise on this opportunity due to outdated farming techniques, a lack of modern resources, and insufficient infrastructure. READ ALSO: Pineapple: Farmers lament low patro.