The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, has commended WACOT Ltd, a leading food and agro-allied company, for its recent certification to export organic sesame globally.
According to the information contained in the company’s press release, the certification was issued by the international certification organization, ECOCERT.
The Minister made this commendation in his office in Abuja while receiving the ECOCERT certifications presented to him by the National Sesame Seed Association of Nigeria (NSSAN), the management of WACOT, stakeholders in sesame production, and the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
What you should know
WACOT Ltd, a member company of the TGI Group, is known for its sizeable investments in the value chains of various crops across Nigeria.
The first certification, which the France-based ECOCERT conveyed to WACOT Limited, is an approval to export sesame across the world.
Meanwhile, the second certification on January 8 gave approval for WACOT to export sesame to the United States, having met that country’s Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic regulations.
What they are saying
The Minister assured the delegation of the government’s support, as the present administration would not relent in creating an enabling environment for innovative agro-allied companies like WACOT.
“This government is all about encouraging and supporting indigenous companies, especially those in the agro-allied sector, to be successful within and outside the country.
“The present administration is serious about weaning our economy off oil, and agriculture is a major priority. It is in this light that I commend your resourcefulness and diligence for getting the certifications,” he said.
Sadiq Kassim, TGI Group’s Director (Corporate Affairs) who is also the Deputy National President of NSSAN, explained that the stakeholders in the agro-allied value chain are committed to placing Nigeria on the global map of organic sesame production.
Speaking about the certification, Kassim said:
“We are delighted to have received these certifications that permit us all levels of sesame handling from farming to export to the United States, Europe and Asia, among others. We are happy to be supporting the government’s economic diversification effort.
The government has supported agriculture, and we felt that we could further assist by obtaining the certifications to export organic seed and bring in foreign exchange.”
Why this matters
The approval given to WACOT by ECOCERT to export organic sesame globally through the recent certification will help in boosting Nigeria’s foreign exchange income through sesame export, and also help in diversifying the economy from crude oil, in line with the government’s economic diversification effort.