Establishment and management of State owned Markets e.g. the Makurdi Modern Market and the International Market.

ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT

• Trade and Investment Promotion
• This Unit handles all trade promotion activities, such as Trade Fairs, Local and International, Export Promotion and Trade Missions.
• Export Promotion
• The Ministry collaborates with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to:
• i. Encourage the production and processing of exportable products, such as soya beans, sesame seeds, yam, cassava, fish, honey, sheabutter, oranges, etc, in the State.
• Find export markets/foreign buyers for the produce:
• To achieve (i–ii) above, there is an established Standing Committee known as Benue State Committee on Export Promotion warehoused in the Ministry. The membership of the Committee are:-
• i. The Permanent Secretary as the Chairman of the Committee
• ii.The Director of Trade/Commerce is the Secretary
• iii. Other members are drawn from farmers associations, Benue Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture (BECCIMA), NASSI, etc.
• iv. The Committee ought to be jointly funded by the State and NEPC through counterpart funding.
• There are Commercial Officers each across the 23 Local Government Areas in the State who are under the Department of Trade.
• Registration of Business Premises (RBP)
• The Unit is charged with the responsibility of registering all the business premises both at the State Headquarters and all the Local Government Areas of the State in accordance with the Internal Revenue Law.
• i. The Unit is the major Revenue generating source for the Ministry. It is also in charge of Haulage Revenue and management of Government Warehouses.
• ii. The unit also provides data for Government for planning and development through Registration of Business Premises (RBP) exercise.
• Weight and Measures Unit
• This Unit is charged with the responsibility of :-
• i. Supervising all weights and measures, both solid and liquid measures, e.g. bags, mudus, basins, metres, etc, in the State to ensure that the national standards are maintained, and to also ensure that farmers have value for their products.
• ii. Collection and compilation of data on prices of goods and services, and compilation of Consumer Price Indices.
• iii. Supervises the production of weight and measures to ensure standard units are complied with.
• Market Development and Management
• Activities of the Unit include the following:
• i. Establishment and management of State owned Markets e.g. the Makurdi Modern Market and the International Market.
• ii. Regulation of market activities.
• iii. Enforcement of the Markets Edict of 1986 by controlling the proliferation of illegal markets and street trading.
• iv. Generation of revenue through payment of rates/rents on Government owned markets.