Nigeria imports N165bn fruit juice annually

Nigerians spend N165 billion annually on the importation of fruit juice.

Disclosing this in Kaduna, the Director General, Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC)Dr. Hussain Ibrahim,  said importation of concentrates was adversely affecting the development of local fruits cultivation for juice processing.

According to him, the industry’s continued dependence on massive importation of concentrates is not healthy for the nation’s economy.

He identified the key fruit juice concentrate pre-mixes being imported to include orange, pineapple, mixed fruits, apple, grape and mango.

According to him, suppliers of these products are South Africa, European Union and South America.

Prior to the imposition of high tariffs, 80 percent of Nigeria’s demand for fruit juice was filled by imports.

A report last year claimed that a daily production of 2000 litres could give manufacturers an annual profit margin of N15 million.