Yam exports to US, Britain record huge success – says Synergos boss

Mr. Adewale Ajadi, Country Director, Synergos Development Innovations, has said yam exports to the United States (US) and Britain in June recorded 90 per cent and 50 per cent successes respectively.


Synergos is a global non-profit organisation providing cooling and conditioning facilities for export commodities to ensure that they meet international market requirements.

Ajadi who said this in an interview at the weekend in Lagos, disclosed that the rate of success of the yam exports was commendable, taking into consideration that Nigeria had never ventured into yam exportation, prior to this time.

“At least 80 per cent to 90 per cent success was recorded for the yam consignment that got to the US, while it was 50 per cent for the yam consignment that got to Britain.

“Yes, the 50 per-cent success rate showed there were some problems with the yam consignment to Britain, and the spoilt yam tubers were separated from the good ones.

“That, however, does not mean that the yam export was a failure, as the major cause of the problem was the delay encountered in conveying the yams.

“The yam export is private sector-driven and not a government venture; so the mistake has been noted and will be corrected in subsequent exports,’’ he said.

Ajadi said nobody expected everything to be perfect in the first attempt to export yam, adding that even Ghana, which had been exporting yam for quite a while, also incurred similar losses.

He said there was always room for improvement, once investors were ready to invest more on yam exports.

Ajadi said the little effort at ensuring yam exports showed that investors believed in what they were doing.

He added that if properly harnessed, yam exports would be the nation’s cash cow, as the market price per tuber in Britain signified that yam exportation was a potential money spinner.


NAN recalls that the Federal Government launched the yam exports at Lilypond Container Terminal in Lagos in June with about 19 tonnes of yam packed in cartons. (NAN)

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