Report Blames Food Safety Concerns, Gaps in Best Practices for Agro-export Reject

James Emejo in Abuja
The Technical Committee on Nigeria Agro Export Reject set up recently by the federal government to investigate the rejection of the country’s agro-exports in the international market has submitted its findings with recommendations.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, had earlier in May, inaugurated the body which was headed by the Director, Commodities and Export Department of the ministry, Mr. Suleiman Audu, to look into the issue of rejection of Nigeria’s agro produce in the global market.

However, submitting the report to the minister over the weekend, the committee noted major concerns including food safety, technical barrier, non-adherence to best practices, and disregard for basic requirements as “largely responsible for the rejection of our agro-exports abroad”.
The committee, accordingly, proffered appropriate recommendations to reverse the trend.

Among other things, it urged the trade ministry to embark on a sensitisation and awareness programme on the need for farmers and operators in the agricultural value chain to secure and adopt Global Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certifications in collaboration with the private sector.

The report also urged the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to float a dedicated budget to fund the Global GAP training, traceability, and certification of all their farmers, to enable their products to qualify for exports, under the federal government initiative.

It further stated that the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), in collaboration with the trade ministry’s Commodities and Export Department (CED) should produce documents, jingles, and offline promotional campaigns (prints, electronic, and billboards) in major Nigerian languages.

This, it said, is to enlighten stakeholders in the agricultural value chain on the need to be Global GAP certified, in order to produce safe and healthy agro produce and avoid rejections.

However, Adebayo, while commending the members of the committee for the time and efforts invested to complete the assignment, pointed out that the implementation of the committee’s recommendations will increase the export basket of agricultural commodities and foreign exchange earnings for the country.
He added that it would therefore require a synergy between the relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and the private sector to yield these fruits.