Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Federal Government has assured Nigerians, especially exporters of dried beans, that it is working towards lifting the ban placed on dried beans by the European Union (EU).
EU had, in June 2015, banned dried beans exportation, which it believed contained high level of dangerous pesticides.
But, Director General of the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), Dr. Vincent Isegbe, who spoke at a stakeholders meeting in Lagos, yesterday, said government is currently working with top officials of EU to address the problem.
Said Isegbe: “We are currently striving to secure the lifting of the suspension of dried Nigerian beans to the EU.
“We are in dialogue with officials at the highest level of government, to establish the Export Control Guarantee which will eliminate the possibility of uncertified agricultural consignment being cleared for shipping –without recourse to NAQS.”
Isegbe further added that the country is “clearly under-performing in agricultural export. Compared to its immense export potential, Nigeria is punching far below its weight.”
He claimed that it is “because we are able to show consistent adherence to export grade standards only in a few commodities that can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
“There is a wide array of agricultural products in demand overseas which we produce in considerable quantity but cannot export because we fall short in the condition precedent established by the destination countries.
“The condition precedent that inhibits us is the sanitary and phytosanitary standards of the global export market. Or, to put it more precisely, our failure to meet the condition precedent is what limits and inhibits us.
“It goes without saying, therefore, that building a culture of full and satisfactory compliance with international standards is key to Nigeria taking its rightful place in the global export market.
“Of course, building that culture will take all stakeholders working in unity and with singleness of purpose to enhance our standard compliance profile. NAQS regrets that the activities of some stakeholders constitute an obstacle course for the nation.
“Certain exporters attempt exportation of agricultural products without a valid sanitary/phytosanitary certificate. Others forge the certificates and many conceal un-inspected and uncertified agricultural products in certified consignments of agricultural products.
“All cargoes that are not accompanied by a valid quarantine certificate of the country of origin are rejected by the destination country.
“Thus, it is pointless and unprofitable trying to circumvent NAQS. But, these ignoble actions persist and it gravely undermines Nigeria’s relationship with her trading partners.”
In 2016, the EU extended its ban on importation of dried beans from Nigeria by three years.
Then, Isegbe lamented that the extension came when government and its relevant agencies were working to ensure that the June deadline to lift the ban was met.
He quoted the official journal of the EU as accusing Nigeria of not doing enough to lift the ban during the period of suspension.
“The continued presence of dichlorvos (pesticide) in dried beans imported from Nigeria and maximum residue levels of pesticides shows that compliance with food law requirement as regards pesticide residual cannot be achieved in the short term,” he said.
“The duration of the importation prohibition should therefore be extended for an additional period of three years to allow Nigeria implement the appropriate risk-management measure and provide required guarantees.
“The measures provided for in this regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the standing committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,’’ Isegbe further quoted the journal as saying.
He, however, called for sensitisation of farmers to do the needful from the farming stage and ensure that this embarrassment does not repeat itself.