Senate President, Bukola Saraki has reaffirmed the senate’s support for the policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to exclude some imported goods and services from the list of items approved for forex in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market.
The Tomato Sub-Sectoral Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria had sought Saraki’s help in intervening to lift the exemption by the apex bank on certain imported products.
The leader of the group, Femi Gbadegun had stated that while the group was not against the policy of the Central Bank in cutting off forex to some imported products, they need time to raise the level of tomato production in the country to effectively cancel out the need for importation.
He revealed that the policy had affected many members of the group in negative ways.
Saraki, while responding to the plea when the tomato paste producers paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, said that considering the current economic situation of the nation, difficult decisions like that of the Central Bank must be taken to effectively tackle the economic challenges.
He said: “It is high time we start telling ourselves the home truth as a nation, we are where we are because of our refusal to take hard decisions.”
“As a country, we have to chart a new way different from the past, and that path is going into manufacturing as we cannot continue to remain an import dependent country.”
Saraki expressed shock that even though there is a high level of local cultivation of tomatoes, the manufacturers were still importing the Triple Concentrate used in the production of tomato paste. He noted that the Triple Concentrate can be produced locally by increasing the production level of tomatoes in the nation.
The senate president also urged the tomato paste producers to channel their energies into becoming full fledged manufacturers while using locally obtained raw material.
“What stops us from producing the tomato to the level of achieving the High Concentrate? You have to be serious in the area of massive investment and research in the sector for government to consider any concession for you,” Saraki said.
Leave a reply