Nigeria: world’s biggest yam producer 尼日利亞山藥產量居世界第一位

本集內容

學習要點

有關“commerce 貿易”的詞匯

邊看邊答

Which two problems do Nigerian exporters face that cause their product to rot before it can be exported?

文字稿

In June, Nigeria started exporting yam to Europe and the United States, as part of its move to curb its addiction to oil.

The government believes that yam exports will generate some six billion dollars every year, and create thousands of new jobs, helping diversify the economy.

But things are not that simple. Though Nigeria is the biggest yam producer in the world, an estimated 30 percent of the production rots away. The country lacks good storage facilities, the transportation system is very poor, and local traders and exporters are struggling.

Prince Vincent Yandev, yam exporter:
“I’d be able to export, like, 76 tonnes of yams to the US. The major challenges have been the funding so if the government can encourage banks to assist us, I think it would be better for us.”

Just over 200 metric tonnes of yam have been exported to Europe and America since the scheme was launched in June. The government wants yam and other agricultural products to replace oil as the mainstay of the economy. But there are also concerns that massive export of yams, would lead to higher prices, hitting the poor.

While the Nigerian government says exporting the country’s yam to Europe and America is a big economic opportunity, many observers say the country has a long way to go in achieving the objective.

尼日利亞已於2017年6月起開始向歐洲及美國出口山藥，這是用來抑制該國對石油出口依賴的舉措之一。

尼日利亞政府認為，出口山藥將給該國帶來年60億美元左右的收益，並創造上千個新的就業機會，從而幫助該國的經濟體制變得更加多元。

然而，事情並非那樣簡單。雖然尼日利亞是全球最大的山藥生產國，但是約有30%的產量會爛掉。該國缺少良好的儲存設施，其交通運輸系統也很差，因此當地的交易商和出口商們都在艱難求生。

普林斯·文森特·楊得夫 山藥出口商
“這樣一來，我就能向美國出口約76噸的山藥。我面臨的最大挑戰是資金，所以，政府要是能鼓勵銀行資助我們的話，情況就能好一些。”

自該計劃於6月啟動以來，出口到歐洲及美國的山藥總量已超過200公噸（20萬千克）。尼日利亞政府希望用山藥及其它農產品來代替石油成為該國的經濟支柱。但也有人擔憂，大量出口山藥將抬升其價格，從而給窮人造成打擊。

雖然尼日利亞政府稱向歐洲及美國出口本國山藥的舉措會帶來巨大的商機，但有很多觀察者說要想達到目標，該國還有漫長的路要走。

詞匯

exporting
出口

generate
產生，帶來

diversify
使…多樣化

funding
資金

mainstay
主要依靠，支柱

你知道嗎？

Yams are so important that many west African countries have a yam festival. The Iwa ji festival, literally means ‘The New Yam Festival’. Last year’s yams are discarded because the new year must begin with fresh ones.

對於一些地區來說，山藥是一種非常重要的農產品，很多西非國傢甚至有舉辦山藥節的習俗。The Iwa ji “新山藥節”就是一個有名的節日。在這個節日中，上一年的山藥會被丟掉，這是因為新年必須以新山藥開始。