A South African farmer currently participating in the Outward Selling and Investment mission to Nigeria, organised by the Department of Trade and Industry, (the dti) has made major breakthroughs in the West African country since the start of the mission on Monday.
Mr Pitso Sekhoto who is part of a 38-member delegation which is currently in Nigeria says his experience in the country has been phenomenal.
“I am very happy to be participating in this mission as it is already yielding fruits for my business even before it ends,” says a dairy and apple farmer.
Sekhoto who hails from Senekal in the Free State said he has already received an order of 50 containers of apples per annum from a Nigerian distributor, and will be starting to supply them very soon. He says this order is a huge one and will generate millions of revenue for his company.
“The timing of this mission is just perfect because it is a time when the Nigerian market is ripe and the government is hungry to see improvement in a way businesses are operated,” he adds.
According to Sekhoto, the Nigerians have the resources whereas South Africans have the expertise and infrastructure. He says if business people from the two countries can collaborate they will achieve much more.
Sekhoto says he also achieved a breakthrough in the area of meat distribution. He adds that a possible partner has already been identified and processes like the feasibility study, company registrations and regulatory frameworks are being looked at to look at the possibility of establishing a high-tech abattoir in either Abuja or Lagos.
Sekhoto says he has also found a distributor who will handle logistics for transporting his apples from South Africa to Nigeria.
Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe
Departmental Spokesperson
Tel: 012 394 1650
Cell: 079 492 1774
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
Follow us on Twitter: @the_dti
