Kaduna Dry Port partners NPA over N6.5trillion export

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is partnering the management of the Kaduna Inland Dry Port (KIDP) to shore up the over N6.5 trillion agricultural export recorded in the first quarter of 2023.

In the first quarter of 2023, agricultural exports accounted for 4.31 per cent of the total exports valued at N6.49 trillion.

Year on year, the value of the top agricultural commodities exported increases by 38.7 percent, compared to the N201.59 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2022.

General Manager, Kaduna Inland Dry Port(KIDP), Rotimi Raimi-Hassan, in an interview with our correspondent said the fresh collaboration is to jack up total export at the end of the first quarter 2024.

The General Manager who gave an insight into the operations of Nigeria’s first dry port that evolved from being a bonded terminal licensed by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), listed top export from the north to include cocoa, sesame seed, hibiscus flower, soybean, cashew nut, ginger and cocoa butter.

According to him, the port is managed and operated by professionals with vast experiences in various aspects of maritime and logistics who have developed a knack to bring port activities closer to the hinterland in line with the vision of its parent company, Inland Containers Nigeria Limited (ICNL).

“Kaduna Inland Dry Port is the most prepared dry port for the operation of domestic export warehouse (DEW) initiative by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC),” he said.