Against the backdrop of the rejection of some Nigeria’s agricultural products at the international market on account of their low quality, it has become imperative for both government and farmers organisations and to look at how to improve the quality of agricultural products in Nigeria to ensure better acceptance of the products in foreign markets.
You may not have heard this. But it happened in Europe. A consignment of Nigerian beans exported to one of the European Union countries was said to have been rejected because it contained excessive amount of pesticide. Usually, pests do destroy grains in Nigeria. To prevent weevils and pests infestation, farmers usually spray their maize and beans with pesticides. But the law governing the importation of foods into the EU does not allow too much of pesticides in food items like beans. As a result of what happened, Nigerian beans have been banned from being imported into the EU.
The ban, coming at a time when Nigerian exporters are looking at what agricultural items to export to Europe, is a big blow to the efforts of government to boost exportation of agricultural products overseas and thus farther diversity the country’s economy.
Also, the business man who exported yam in containers to the U.S hoping that the yams will get to its American destination in good quality was wrong. Has he forgotten that the yams may rot on the high seas?
The import of this sad stories is that government must do something to protect Nigeria’s image from being dented by the unscrupulous exporters of poor quality agricultural products. There must be agents who inspect various products to be exported out of Nigeria and certify them good or bad. It is not good for government to let exporters be on their own with nobody or government agency or organisation to certify their products fit for exportation.
What the sad story about the ban on the importation of Nigerian beans to EU also means is that Nigerian exporters must fully ask those they are supplying agricultural food items the full information concerning the items they are about to export. They must know what it takes to export overseas. EU is not Dugbe market in Ibadan where anything goes and the buyers will try and manage whatever the quality of the items you supply to them.
Nigerian exporters must embrace what is called “Good Agricultural Practices” so that whatever their clients overseas ask for is exactly what the Nigerian exporter is supplying to them. Any deviation from what is ordered for would be rejected with sad consequences for the exporter and bad name and image for Nigeria.
In the days of marketing boards, things were not as bad as this as the marketing boards ensured that only good and high quality agricultural products were graded and exported overseas. But, today every exporter is on his own. Something just has to be done and it is the government that must take the lead in this regard. Nigeria is a consuming nation with only little industrial base. As the country improves its industrial base, it must also accelerate its exports of processed food and raw materials to the export
market.
Meanwhile, worried by the high level of rejection of Nigeria’s agricultural produce at the international market, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture has also emphasised the need for local farmers and exporters of agricultural products to adhere strictly to Good Agricultural Practices to put an end to the menace.
According to the association, GAP is fast becoming the world’s most widely implemented farm certification scheme. It is therefore the way to go to drive the nation’s non-oil sector. It also enables the country to earn foreign exchange via export of agricultural
products.
As one of its measures to encourage export of high quality agricultural products overseas, NACCIMA is organising Agricultural Quality Excellence Award for those exporters in agribusiness who excelled in the exportation of local agricultural products. The award will reward quality and adherence to standards and excellence by operators in sector. The maiden edition is scheduled to hold in Kano on November
20.
It is hoped that the award will spur exporters in agribusiness to adhere strictly to Good Agricultural Practices and ensure that they export only the best agricultural products from Nigeria and save the nation from embarrassment from EU and other countries importing agricultural products from Nigeria.
