ABX World, Arik, SAHCOL To Collaborate On Agro-Allied Products
ABX World, a globally recognised Nigeria courier and cargo firm is to collaborate with Arik Air and Skyway Aviation Grand Handling Company (SAHCOL) as cargo airline and process handling company to reposition the country’s agro-allied products to be exported to markets across Europe and other parts of the globe.
Speaking to Aviation Correspondent in Lagos, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Office of ABX World Nigeria, Capt. John Okakpu, stated that the revolutionary project would kick start the agricultural sector in the country while boosting the supply chain involving transportation, logistics, aviation, packaging, among others; in a bid to creating jobs for the teaming youths.
Okakpu stated that both Arik Air and SAHCOL had been certified by European Union (EU) with ACC3 and RA3 certifications respectively.
He added that already ABX World had reached out to the Federal Government to leverage on global agro-allied sub-sector while breaking the challenges posed by mono-economic the country practices at the moment.
According, “Assuming one million out of over three million Nigerians living in the United Kingdom make purchases of food items from Nigeria at the cost of $100 weekly even with the current exchange rate, Nigeria cannot make less than $5.2billion from this sub-sector annually.”
The ABX World boss stated that agriculture was taking back its leading contributor position to the global economy, adding that at the moment oil and gas sector is in shambles and that Nigeria must not be left behind.
Okakpu urged President Muhammadu Buhari led administration to jettison the idea of relying on the oil and gas sector as the main stay of the Nigeria economy.
“We know the price of crude oil today. Nigeria is largely a mono-dimension economy focused on crude oil extract, export and import. Our banking sector is not reckoned with by the rest of the world. God wants to reposition Nigeria, which is the reason we are faced with the crude oil price downfall.”
He continued, “People like me would prefer the crude oil to be $10 per barrel, because that will wake us up from slumber. Before crude oil Nigeria was, but we lost our focus because of that. For Nigeria to balance her budget at the moment, crude oil has to sell for $128 per barrel. How do we make up the difference? Is it by producing more? Do we have the capacity to produce more to make up the difference? We have no choice than to go back to the foundation which is agriculture.”
He posited that for Nigeria to achieve the required turnaround in her economy, ABX World has engaged top supply chains in Europe to supply them with about 60 per cent of the agro-allied produce to European markets.
Farmers through their respective corporative societies, he said should be sent for training on and get certified on the supply chain processes such as the kind of pesticides to use, adding that through that, they would be guaranteed three years of supply.
He further stressed on the need to establish purpose-driven cargo facilities that are strategically built around passenger airports to attract and sustain airlines interest in the business.
He urged the Federal Government to provide airfreight subsidy in the agricultural sector for rapid growth of agricultural sector and to support the ailing economy.
He explained that with this platform over 20 million jobs would be created on the provision of $0.50 (N100.00) per kilogramme of agricultural produce for airfreight transportation.
“This is an avenue to brining all participants together to integrate their individual roles in this sector. ABX World strategy is to generate over 50,000 tons of agricultural produce annually for export, while targeting produce such as pumpkin leave, fresh ginger and garlic, white and red sweet potatoes, washed bitter leaf.” He said
