The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said yesterday that Nigeria would soon begin exporting dry yam to China.

He spoke while inaugurating the committee on Nigerian yam export programme in Abuja.

“The Chinese were here a few days ago and were asking for dry yam. I wondered why they wanted it dried. The Chinese are very clever, they said 40% of yam is water and they don’t want the water, they want the yams. So if we have to ship yams to China, we have to find a way of drying it,” he said.

The minister while citing figures from the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) said Nigeria, which produces 61.7% of total global production, does not have a share of the yam export market.

“Unfortunately, we are not among the yam exporters-that is something to worry us. Ghana seems to control the African export market. Iam not sure if they produce as much yams as Niger, Benue, Ebonyi or Ekiti states,” he said.

Chief Ogbeh asked the committee to develop a framework for the establishment of Nigerian yam export and pack houses in all the land and sea ports where documentations for yam export are processed.