A Nigerian yam exporter, Dr. Timothy Ijir, who is based in the United States, has said that the US authorities did not reject any yam exports from Nigeria.

He stated this in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday.

He said, “I am the only person who has imported Nigerian yams into the US and I can say without equivocation that they were not rejected. Any statement to the contrary is false and misguided.

“Some of the statements and quotes credited to the Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources are false. I am currently working on importing my next consignment. Our US Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration import permit is still valid.”

Also, an expert in the agricultural sector, Prof. Joseph Ukpabi, has accused the Federal Government of not carrying out proper consultations before approving the exportation of yams from Nigeria to the United States, China and the United Kingdom.

In June this year, Nigeria commenced yam export to other countries as part of efforts aimed at reducing dependence on oil and increasing its revenue from agriculture.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, however raised the alarm recently when he said  the US rejected yams from Nigeria because of their poor quality.

To avert a recurrence, he said the Federal Government would increase its disciplinary measures against exporters that would embarrass Nigeria by exporting substandard items.