The Minster of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar, on Wednesday urged the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) to encourage farmers to continue to grow Sorghum in the country.
Abubarka, while receiving the Beer Sectorial Group of MAN in Abuja, said if the association encouraged sorghum production, it would reduce dependence of the sector on barley.
She said,“ We hope, in your social responsibility, that you are encouraging farmers to continue to grow products like sorghum so that you can reduce your reliance on barley
“Sorghum is a product that is grown in many states of the federation and you can imagine what employment generation you can create when you focus on that.”
Abubakar also called on the sector to continue to promote the “drink and driving” campaign in the country, saying that a lot of men had been lost on the roads a result of drinking and driving
“I remember sometime last year there was a Tv programme where they talked about beer being medicinal and I do not know where that came from.
“We should come up with quantity and content, it should not just be a broad statement that beer is medicinal otherwise many people will keep drinking beer till it becomes harmful.
On the challenges of the sector, Abubakar said the Federal Government was already making efforts at resolving most challenges faced by manufacturers in the country.
“The issue of foreign exchange, if there is any particular equipment you need to bring in, perhaps you will bring it to notice of the ministry and we will try to intervene.
“But when it comes to other raw materials that we can produce locally, we will not encourage CBN to provide our scarce resources on that.
“On issue of multiple taxation, again this has to do with federal and state but there is something we are also working on.”
Abubakar said President Muhammadu Buhari had established a presidential committee on the ease of doing business, adding that the committee involved Customs, FIRS, Transport and others.
“ Ministers are also working closely with the committee, perhaps we will start to yield result by the end of the year and beginning of next year
“At the state level, governors are being advised to bring forward areas of major industries so power, roads and other logistics can be concentrated in those areas for them to function properly.
“We are also trying to see what other alternatives we have to sustainable alternative power or renewable energy so that a lot of this can be off grid,” she said.
Abubakar said that she looked forward to the commencement of the committee on the ease of doing business.
Earlier, Mr Lanre Onigbogi, Executive Secretary, Beer Sectorial Group, MAN, said the visit to the ministry was to intimate the minister of the sector’s effort towards improving investment in the country.
Onigbogi said the group was committed to working with the government to promote responsible marketing and consumption of beverage alcohol in the country.
He said the group was collaborating with the Federal Road Safety Commission to conduct research activities related to drinking and driving among Nigerian drivers.
On their challenges, Onigbogi said the sector faced a stifling foreign exchange dispensation which had made it difficult for them to continue to invest in critical infrastructure.
“There is the issue of multiple taxation from local and national authorities, including mixed messaging in customs and excise duties for our products.
“ We have challenges with power generation, transportation and logistics for our products to get to the consumers.(NAN)