Stories by Charles Nwaoguji
A little knowledge about the items you want to export from Nigeria to other countries is always an advantage.
This explains why Nigerian government through Nigerian Export Promotion Council is encouraging Nigerian industrialists, business men and women, and agriculturalists to export more non-oil products so as to grow our export index, create jobs, and in the long run stabilise the economy. Some of items that already available in Nigeria for export include:
Cassava Flour
Cassava is food for all in Nigeria because of various methods of preparing it. There is need for this in the foreign markets as the demands of well processed cassava flour is increasing both in Europe, Middle East and in America.
Cashew Nuts
Almost every part of the country has the potential to produce this international commodity. Great quantity of unprocessed raw cashew nuts are exported to India, Brazil and Vietnam where they are processed into kernels and moved to the Northern America and Europe where they are sold for about $2 per pound. The demands are on the increase in the consuming countries.
Chili Pepper
Nigeria is blessed with good weather which supports the proper growths and production of this internationally accepted pepper. If you can grow and source for the export opportunities, you are sure to get it.
Fruit Juice
It may sound somewhat strange to hear that Nigeria provide export opportunity for fruit juice concentrates. Yes, we have it because Nigeria can boast of so many naturally grown fruits all over the country which provides the best of fruit juice productions of great quantities. The opportunity for Nigerian fruits export is huge in USA.
Cosmetics and soaps
The demand for soaps in other part of the world is very high. Soap making, which extends to other toiletries, laundries and so on are already export opportunity waiting to be invested in.
Nigeria has grown in this very important area but the only challenge holding us back is procurement of good technology to produce this in great quantity to compete with other developed countries.
Ginger
This is one of the most traded spices in the world which Nigeria happens to be among the largest producers. Why we are not exporting this in large quantity is still a mistry. You can start a Trans-Sahara or Trans-Atlantic trade with this goods and be making dollars on regular basis. Garlic is on top of the list of items you can export from Nigeria.
Palm Kernel Oil
This is the oil extracted from the pulp of palm fruit which is different from palm oil. Palm kernel oil is used for the manufacturing of various cosmetics, pharmaceutical products and confectioneries. The uses of this oil are broad and the mineral contents are said to be rich in protein for various uses. Nigeria has it in large quantity and makes dollars exporting it to other countries of the world.
Textiles and Garments
This industry alone generates close to $32 billion as revenue from export from Nigeria. It is also a fact that unlike other products that battles with high strict rules of tests, Nigeria’s textiles enjoy duty free passage into United States where it has the largest markets in the world because of its unique, ethnic African designs and quality.
Cocoa Butter
This is the real sources of chocolates of all types. The fruits of Cocoa is the end products of various skin care products, health products, and pharmaceutical products. The demands for cocoa is very high in both America and UK.
Gallstone
This is a clay-like solid substance gotten from gallbladder of matured cow and oxen. The size could be as big as chicken egg, it’s a hotcake for foreign pharmaceuticals because they use it for medical purposes. If one could lay his hand a good quantity of well dried gallstone about 100g that is well packaged, ready buyers are waiting for it at either Asian or American markets to give you dollars.
Rubber
Nigeria has put in place some proper Central Testing Laboratories to ensure that only certified products leave the country for Europe and America which are in dire needs of the product. Nigeria happens to be a significant producer of Rubber. A cubit meter of fine quality rubber goes for between $400 and $600 presently
Sesame Seed
This may sound a bit strange if you are not from the area where it is produced in the country like Benue and Jigawa states in Nigeria. This product ranks second to cocoa in terms of export volumes and foreign exchange earnings. Nigeria is the 5th largest producer of this commodity and shipping it into foreign countries brings dollars exchange.
Honey
Pure honey is another export commodity from Nigeria to other countries. Presently, a kilogram of honey costs above $150 in the international markets. Pure natural honey contains well trace enzymes as sugar, mineral, vitamins and amino acids. A litre of honey can fetch good dollars in the foreign market.
Shrimps
The Niger Delta region in Nigeria is blessed with rich organic deposits of shrimps. The demands of shrimps is high in countries like Portugal, France, Belgium, Spain, Europe and USA.
Garlic
Garlic is a cash crop which is grown under irrigation by farmers in the Savanna areas in Nigeria. With internationally certified good quantities of garlic, you are sure of hard currencies.
Yam Tubers
Nigeria is presently the largest producers of yam. In 2009 alone, yam export accounted for about US$450 million. But due to low quality it’s saddening to know that the country is not maximising its export potential on this products. So there is need for prospective exporters of yam to foreign countries to adhere to quality regulations that is guarding the process. Yam farmers must take this into consideration and tap from this opportunity.
Charcoal
This is at the fore front in the international market. This product which is produced in good quantity in Nigeria with now perfected technology, has about 50 per cent ROI. Even an individual can own a charcoal production outfit and have exporters shipping it for him. A large market for charcoal exists in ASIA, EU, and USA. A tonne of this product goes for about $1000.
Cotton
This sector recently received a boost from the National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN) of N33 million to rehabilitate it. Cotton is the most natural sources of fiber and is demanded internationally.
Snail
If you can produce snails in good quantity, there is a ready market for you. Snails are hotcake in European countries and America. The good thing about this is that it is very easy to rear as it produces rapidly with close to nothing in expenditures for feeding.
Poultry
Forget about the facts that some greedy Nigerians go about smuggling chicken into the country. When we talk about poultry, it involves all domestic birds, egg or meat.
Nigeria poultry farm products are still highly needed both within Africa and Western countries because Nigerian weather conditions for poultry farming still remains the best compared to other countries. Poultry products export from Nigeria is an avenue that is still highly untapped.