Worried by the repeated rejection of Nigerian exports after quality checks by the Private Inspection Agents (PIAs), trade experts have raised concern, requesting detailed explanations from PIA as to what the future holds for Nigerian export trade.
Internationally, standards for export goods are established globally, and are expected to be certified and met before goods can be accepted into an importing country, failure for which, there shall be immediate rejection and repatriation to the originating country.
In Nigeria, the PIAs have the responsibility of ensuring compliance with required standards for categories of export goods, for which they issue certificates when the products meet the standards for export.
PIAs are employed to check quality and keep records of volume of goods exported out of Nigeria, issue a Clean Report of Inspection for goods, yet Nigerians are regularly being rejected and returned to Nigeria.
Obiora Madu, a member of the Export Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), who expressed concern over product rejection after they had been certified compliant with the standards, said the PIAs should take responsibility and explain what the problems are.
“In the days when the commodities board was there, they followed the commodities from the seed to when it becomes a product to be exported. And at that time, the board would buy, check quality and export by themselves,” he explained.
According to him, the absence of the commodities board has left the export trade in Nigeria without adequate check as it ought to be.
He also expressed concern over the high cost of exporting goods from Nigeria, as he blamed that factor for reasons Nigeria had not yet received its due recognition as the producer of at least 60 percent of shear butter in the world.
“Nigeria produces 60 percent of shear butter in the world, but in the international market, you see shear butter from other West African countries, because exporting the product from Nigeria is very expensive, so, you see many people selling locally rather than exporting,” Madu added.
Recall that some exported food products including beans from Nigeria have, however, faced rejection and are returned to the country for failing the tests to establish the required standards.
Making reference to a particular rejected export product, Madu said more attention must be given to required details and that Nigeria could not afford to be left behind as regards the issues of standards for export goods.
“The world is now a global village. It means standards are meant for everybody. It is about ethics, following standards. If people are ethical, then they would stay with the standards,” Madu said.
For the issue in question, Madu said that a consignment of exported vegetables was returned immediately to Nigeria, after it arrive, its destination in the importing country in Europe without a Phytosanitary Certificate.
A Phytosanitary Certificate certifies plant and plant-related products as free from regulated pests, and conforms to other phytosanitary requirements as specified from the importing country.
“There is need for a one-stop-shop process on export as applied internationally to encourage foreign exchange earnings and better balance of trade by reducing and streamlining export processing procedure,” said Lucky Amiwero, maritime expert on the need to fast track export from the port.
He said this would reduce bottlenecks created by lengthy and cumbersome processes that effect acceptability of Nigerian products in the international markets, especially due to delays.
AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE
