Boko Haram is ruining Nigeria’s chance to benefit from the US-China trade tiff
Abuja — Chinese importers seeking alternative sources of sorghum as risks of a trade spat with the US linger are finding Nigeria, the world’s second-largest producer, unable to fill the gap, as violence in producing regions leaves fields idle. Sorghum is a drought-resistant grain used in the food and brewing industry as well as for livestock feed. It is also a staple in parts of the world. "The trade war opens up an opportunity for us to export to China," Muda Yusuf, head of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in a phone interview from the country’s commercial capital. "I don’t think Nigeria is able to take it as our capacity is dwindling because of all the security problems we have in our agricultural belt." Nigeria produced 6.5-million tonnes of sorghum in 2017, second only to the US, which had output of more than eight-million tonnes, according to the US department of agriculture. Nigeria’s agriculture ministry puts annual output at 11-million tonnes, which it says i...
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