Nigeria’s efforts in addressing export rejection concerns of non-oil export, mostly to advanced countries, may still suffer some setbacks as the legislation and institutional framework expected to prevent food contamination in line with the requirements of international bodies is not yet in place.
The Federal Government amid dwindling oil resources is seriously looking for other sources of revenue diversification with greater targets on non-oil exports, but there are fears that certain safety procedures to facilitate a hitch-free export are not yet in place.
Babatunde Irukera, a United Nation International Development Organisation (UNIDO) official, made the disclosure during a capacity building programme for Nigerian representatives on consumer protection issues and the role of Consumer Protecting Council, CPC, revealing further that consumer confidence was already affecting export of Nigeria products.
He, however, disclosed that the Federal Government had been working closely with UNID0 to ensure such international safety laws addressed the reject concerns.
“Food safety governance must be addressed in comparison with the international food and safety practice by the Federal Government for us to consume healthy food and even meet the European market safety standards,’’ Babatunde said.
He said, “Most of our agro-commodity products still suffer export rejects because they are not meeting up to ‘Sanitary and Phyto sanity measures,” he explained.
Why advising on safety measures for imported commodities he said, “Most of our imported meat is pressured with formalin and which contains carcinogenic substances. These carcinogenic substances cause cancer.”
The European Commission (EU), it would be recalled, has extended the ban for another three years of Nigerian beans into the EU markets while the Head of Trade and Economic Section of the EU delegation to Nigeria, Filippo Amato said the ban would remain until substantial guarantees were provided that adequate official control systems had been put in place.
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