The 14 perishable cargo terminals under construction will be ready this year, Aviation Minister Princess Stella Oduah has said.

The first farm produce for local supermarkets and international markets will also be ready soon, she added.

The terminals are located in Ilorin Kwara, Abuja, Akure, Ondo State, Calabar, Cross River, Jalingo, Taraba, Jos, Plateau, Kano, Ikeja Lagos, Makurdi, Benue Minna, Niger, Owerri, Imo, Port Harcourt, Rivers and Uyo, Akwa Ibom.

The minister said the terminals have been selected in line with their regional agricultural comparative advantage and private sector expressions of interest.

Oduah stated this in an interview at the weekend in Lagos, adding that it has been projected that revenue that will accrue from the export of farm produce by farmers through the perishable cargo programme would surpass oil revenue in the next 10 years.

According to her, the perishable cargo programme will also empower farmers who constitute 85 per cent of Nigeria’s work force and eliminate poverty in the country by 60 per cent.

Oduah said though the perishable cargo programme is driven by the Federal Government, states and local governments have keyed into it as it would benefit the rural dwellers who toil in their farms but earn very little from their produce.

The minister said the government would ensure that standardisation was achieved in terms of quality of the produce and the packaging so that it would meet the standard of international consumers in Europe, the United States and other parts of the world, some of which have already indicated interest to accept Nigeria’s farm produce.

"Various private investors and state governments have expressed readiness to take advantage of the programme and contact the relevant authorities for permissions to establish Export Processing Zones or Free Economic Zones at the terminals," she explained.

Spokesman of Aviation Parastatals, Yakubu Dati explained that the abundance of varieties of fresh produce in the country and the growing economic importance of the sector, which stands at $ 1.53 billion (N245billion) has necessitated the development of the Perishable Cargo Terminals.

Dati said: "They will enhance the farm-to-market value chain, consequently improving the food security network, rural transformation by creating rural employment opportunities in storage, warehousing and air/road transportation logistics."

He noted that the perishable export cargo programme would utilise open field cultivation for the fresh produce, as farmers would be able to transport their products to collection centres in the states, while refrigerated trucks would deliver the products to the primary airport hubs.