Nigeria’s plan to commence export of sorghum to the United Kingdom in 2020 hit a brick wall due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This was made known by the country representative of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hakeem Ajeigbe.
Ajeigbe in March 2020 stated that arrangements to begin shipment to buyers in the UK had almost been reached.
“Very soon we will be exporting malted sorghum to Britain,” Mr Ajeigbe had said. “I have already linked the major market to some of our sorghum off-takers in Nigeria, they will malt the sorghum and then send it to Britain, there is a market there, there is somebody who wants to buy.
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“By now, they should have finished with the deal. I have made the linkage – that means that our farmers will be exporting malted sorghum this year, not next year. Actually, the thing is even in some weeks’ time, malted sorghum will be exported outside the country.’’
He told this newspaper on Tuesday that the pandemic “scattered everything” just as the implementation of the plan was getting underway.
“The derivatives there was almost like agreed with the guy who is going to buy it in the United Kingdom. He was supposed to come and then this COVID embargo on travel just put it on hold but we are hoping this will improve and we will start again,” Mr Ajeigbe said.
