By Nkiruka Nnorom

The upcoming agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria 2015 Trade Fair will contribute to a more diverse offering in food products and improved food safety in the country, says Mr. Martin Maerz, Managing Director, fair-trade, the organizing company from Germany of agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria 2015.

The agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria 2015 Trade Fair is the first international  trade  Show on agriculture and livestock, food, beverage & packaging technology and food, beverages and hospitality in Nigeria.

The show, which is scheduled to hold from Tuesday 28- 30 April, 2015, will bring together over 80 exhibitors from 21 countries with the Nigerian agrofood professionals to proffer solution to the problems in the sector .

Speaking in an interview with Vanguard, Mr. Maerz revealed that food and beverage sector contributes about 22.5 percent to the manufacturing sector, thereby making it is the largest segment of the Nigerian manufacturing industry.

According to him, “It is estimated at N16.5 billion in aggregate output and constitutes 4.6 percent of GDP, and 66 percent of total consumer expenditure. In 2013, total consumer expenditure in the food and beverage sector amounted to N80.69 billion, compared to N72.18 billion in 2012 and posted a growth rate of 16.4 percent after rebasing of GDB. The sector generates over 1.5 million jobs in the country and thus employs five percent of the Nigerian  workforce.”

Continuing, he said, for the launch event of agrofood & plastprintpack  Nigeria  2015, we will concentrate on giving the floor to personal discussions between exhibitors and  trade  visitors. They can focus on in-depth negotiations on advanced solutions on their technological needs; get new ideas for new food products, on new drinks and on new technologies, how to produce them and how to package them.

“Our core target visitors are specialists from the  Nigerian  agrofood sector from all over the country. They can profit a lot in discussing and finding new solutions for their production. They will leave the exhibition with plenty of new ideas for their business and excellent contacts with the leading agrofood & packaging technologists from around the world.”

According to VDMA, the German Engineering Association,  Nigerian imports of food processing and packaging machinery and equipment has increased to 331.6 million Euro, a 20.4 percent rise from 275.4 million Euro in 2012.