The National Association of Shea Products of Nigeria (NASPAN) has commended the federal government’s ban on the exportation of shea nuts from Nigeria.

The president of the association, Mohammed Kontagora, made the commendation at a news conference in Abuja on Friday.

The federal government, on Aug. 26, placed a six-month temporary ban on the exportation of raw shea nuts from Nigeria.

The aim, it said, was to boost the local shea industry by providing raw materials for domestic processing, creating jobs, as well as adding value to the product.

According to the federal government, the ban will also ensure significant short-term and long-term economic benefits through improved revenue generation.

Mr Kontagora described the ban as “strategic and critical”, saying it would go a long way in repositioning Nigeria as the global leader in shea competitiveness.

“Though announced suddenly during the peak of seasonal transactions in shea nut harvest, processing and trading, the ban is a welcome decision that NASPAN fully supports.

“It represents a paradigm shift in the regulation of shea resources, with the official integration of a critical economic product of wide domestic benefit and high export value.

“The grounds for the ban, which include boosting local processing capacity, curbing informal trade, job creation, rural economic transformation, sustainability for women pickers and resource optimisation, are valid and justifiable,’’ he said.

Mr Kontagora added that the ban would stem local price volatility, as actors in the value chain would review emerging realities to explore ways in which the policy enhanced mutually beneficial trade relationships.

According to him, integrating shea into the Nigerian Commodity Exchange platform would also foster price stability, transparency and fair returns to farmers, women pickers and processors.

The national president of NASPAN stated that the policy demonstrates the federal government’s readiness to formalise shea trading and curb informal trading, which results in significant economic losses.

(NAN)