Stakeholders in the agricultural sector on Monday expressed concerns over the capital flight caused by the importation of pineapples from Ghana and Togo into the country, resulting in a daily loss of N50 million. Ambassador Oluwasegun Alabi, a seasoned agriculturist, disclosed this during a press briefing held in Abuja. He observed that Nigeria has failed to leverage its comparative advantage as the eighth-largest producer of pineapples in the world, with an estimated total of 1,607,200 metric tons per annum.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Corporate Statistics database, Ghana ranks 13th with an estimated total of 678,079 metric tons, while Togo ranks 16th, producing an estimated total of 472,514 metric tons per annum. “But it is surprising that Ghana and Togo produce less than what Nigeria produces annually, yet Nigeria still imports pineapples from these two countries because our production is 50% less than our consumption, making us largely dependent on imports.” “A new discovery has unveiled the incredible versatility of pineapples, revealing that they can be used to produce a variety of items such as clothing, shoes, bags, disposable plates, spoons, and even biofuel, along with the well-known health benefits of pineapples.
All these factors have significantly increased the demand for pineapples worldwide. “With vast, fertile land, Nigeria has the potential not only to meet its domestic pineapple demand but also to become a leading global .