Last weekend, the French Minister for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad, Olivier Becht, inaugurated the “Food for Nations” agri-food platform – a one stop platform designed to assemble, host, and connect multi-sectoral stakeholders across the agri-food value chain, in order to facilitate food export and import.
Says farmer Akin Alabi (R): “Congratulations my brother @OlawaleJRFarms. FOOD FOR NATIONS was a success!!” 📸@akinwale_cfi
Spearheading the digital Food for Nations platform (in collaboration with the French government), is the founder of JR Farms, Olawale Rotimi Opeyemi, who explains: “[Users of the platform] include food producers, off-takers, trade financiers, logistics and warehousing [companies], and standardisation partners, among other stakeholders.”
During the inauguration, Minister Becht explored a variety of agri-food products presented by some of the most active Nigerian producers, underscoring the richness and quality of the offerings in the Nigerian agri-food landscape.
Minister Becht also invited Nigerians in the agriculture sector to collaborate with France, emphasising the latter’s eagerness to welcome agricultural investments, following in the footsteps of JR Farms.
To further solidify the collaboration between Nigeria and France, Becht pointed out the planned presence of a vibrant Nigerian Pavilion at the upcoming Paris International Agriculture Fair (taking place February 24 to March 03, 2024), which would showcase the diversity and potential of agribusiness emanating from Nigeria.
Minister Becht applauded the presence of a robust Nigerian entrepreneurship ecosystem, hailed the “Food for Nations” digital trade platform as a catalyst for the development of strong bilateral relations in agriculture and agribusiness, and commended JR Farms’ CEO Olawale Rotimi Opeyemi for energising the agribusiness relationship between Nigeria and France.