Nigeria’s leading agricultural inputs development and distribution company – The Candel Company Limited is set to commence the export of Agrochemical products made in Nigeria from its integrated manufacturing facility located at the Lekki Free Zone, Lagos, Nigeria.
The Chairman, Candel Group, Charles Anudu disclosed this during a statutory plant inspection and assessment of the Candel FZE Plant by the Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana as part of the requirements by the regulatory body to ensure compliance with global environmental and quality standards.
Anudu revealed that the plant, which was inaugurated barely three months ago, now has the capacity to export crop protection chemicals and foliar fertilizers to Ghana. The other African markets will follow shortly in line with the vision of the company as an international agro-input company with deep Nigerian roots.
“As a company, we have been operating in Ghana for about 15 years, trading in Agrochemical products made for us in Asia and Europe, but now we want to export our made-in-Nigeria products which are made with the context of the West African farmer as the focus. We will supply our own distribution network as well as private label customers in that market’’, he noted.
Assuring the visiting regulatory agency of the quality of Candel Agrochemical Products, Anudu noted that quality is ofutmost importance to the company. ‘’We ensure that the quality of the chemical content in our bottle is exactly as written on the label. Our approach to quality is a holistic one which includes the quality of the content as well as the packaging’’
In his own remarks, the Managing Director, The Candel Company Limited, Emmanuel Kattie stated that the company’s innovative Research & Development unit is constantly working to improve product formulation to suite local needs. An example is foliar fertilizer for Cocoa which both feeds the cocoa crop while protecting its pods from the dreaded Black Pod disease”.
Kattie revealed also that through the company’s R&D effort, The Candel Company Limited has a new Maize herbicide that does not contain Atrazine thereby resolving the underground water problems associated with this active ingredient.
Speaking shortly after the plant inspection, the Head of Chemical Control & Management Centre of EPA, Ghana, SamAdu-Kumi applauded the factory initiative by Candel, which he believes would set a good foundation not only for the economy of Nigeria but the entire West African sub region.
‘’Most of the Agrochemical products that come into our country are substandard. In our sub-region, we only have one factory. Candel’s plant and standards are a welcome development that would help boost the economy of Nigeria and trickle down to other West African countries” he said.
Adu-Kumi commended the management of The Candel Company Limited for carrying out due diligence of environmental impact assessment and also investing heavily in innovative product packaging process that will prevent leakages as well as counterfeiting.
Commenting on the relationship between EPA, Ghana and Nigeria’s regulatory body like NAFDAC, the Deputy Director, Field Operations, EPA, Ghana, John Pwamang stated that plans are at an advanced stage to harmonize the regulatory system for the whole ECOWAS sub-region and that this will facilitate the regional ambition of Candel.
