25/03/2011 (AllAfrica.com) - The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Bank in line with its Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP) for five states.

The agreement which was signed in Abuja, Wednesday, to stimulate the export and marketability of the targeted agricultural products in five states comprising Lagos, Cross River, Enugu, Kano and Kaduna States.

The initiative which has the capability of providing jobs, income opportunities, and strengthen national efforts towards achievement of federal government policy objectives on food security and millennium development goals, will also contribute significantly to meeting national food needs and strengthen trade link with other countries.

Mr. David Adulugba, NEPC Executive Director, explained that the project has been structured in such a way that each participating state will be targeted with support activities and expertise fashioned to enhance the capability and competence of farmers, processors and marketers to achieve global competitiveness in selected value chains.

Adelugba noted that the objective of the MOU is to ensure that finished products of the value chain selected for the project achieve tremendous success at domestic and international market.

Under the project, Lagos State is specifically focusing on aquaculture, poultry and rice value chains, while Enugu is focusing on fruit trees (cashew and pineapples), poultry (eggs and birds) and maize value chains.

Cross River State on its part is focusing on oil palm, cocoa and rice value chains, Kaduna state is focusing on fruit trees, (citrus, mangoes and guava) dairy and staples (maize) value chains, while Kano state is focusing on rice, dairy and staples (Maize) value chains.

He said that the council would pursue the successful execution of the MOU through organization and implementation of tailored and capacity building programmes, domestic and foreign markets intelligence studies, selected study tours one_on_one mentoring etc.

"In addition requiste and products specific training programme will be developed and conducted taking into cognisance the particular and specific needs of farmers and operators in each of the value chains," he added.

He however posited that there are tremendous benefits in these collaborative efforts with the World Bank and the states because the initiative is relevant to farmers, processors and the Nigerian economy in general as it will contribute significantly to meeting national food needs and strengthening trade link with other countries.

Mr Aminu Babandi, CADP National Project Coordinator, stated that the issue of market is one sub-component of the project which explained the collaboration with the NEPC. He advised the council not to only look at the export aspect of the market, but to furnish the CADP office with the data base of the location of domestic markets for different products in the project.

Babandi stated that the World Bank was ready to work with NEPC to get data base on farmers and their products to assist the farmers majorly in the five states to link to the existing market.