Post by Trade facilitator on Dec 1, 2021 16:33:43 GMT 1
What Nigeria Must Do to Increase Smooth Agro Export of the Nation’s Agricultural Commodities?
Nigeria as a nation has passed through very difficult situations in terms of exportation of agricultural commodities.
For many years, the country as an agrarian nation and into export of agricultural commodities has continued to face various types of export rejections from different countries and economic blocks.
These countries, regions and economic blocks regularly reject Nigeria’s agro products at will causing the nation great economic losses. They always give various reasons for their actions which can be either that the commodities are banned or do not meet up with their country’s specifications on standard and food safety regulations.
It is important to note that there is an agency in the country that is entrusted with the responsibility of certification of the import and export of agricultural commodities that are not yet processed. The name of the agency is the Nigerian Quarantine Service (NAQS).
This agency has in the time past been bedeviled with so many difficulties which has made it very difficult for it to perform the assigned duties diligently.
We can confirm that the current Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammed Abubakar, has resolved to intervene in order to strengthen the agency’s export certification system.
Recently in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, the Director-General of the agency, NAQS, Dr. Vincent Isegbe, had a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development at the agency’s headquarters.
The DG told reporters that many issues were discussed about what to be done to tackle the problems facing exporters and export certification in Nigeria. Some of the issues discussed are: attitude of some Nigerian exporters who are unpatriotic, thereby giving the country a bad image overseas. They usually undermine due processes that are supposed to be followed in export business.
Surprisingly, the DG said that most of the rejections came from items like bark of trees. He said that they occupy more than 85% of the rejections. He said “It is not because our products are bad, it is because they were exporting things they were not supposed to be exporting; and once they flag us on that notice, you see rejection. When you find out the issues involved, you know that this is a prohibited item that was not supposed to have been exported.”
Dr. Isegbe revealed terrible actions of some unscrupulous Nigerian exporters who would stop at nothing in cutting corners; they will add prohibited items into already certified products, adding that such an action would invalidate what has been certified.
The DG said, “If you have vegetables and issue a certificate for it, and by some illegality you put something else, it means that what have been certified have been invalidated by that thing you have added. You have concealed something into a certified product, so that destroys the quality and certification for that product.”
The agency also lamented that most of the illegalities happen after they certified products for export, some of the exporters will even conceal them alongside other prohibited items.
He also said that another difficult issue is that some exporters do not want to pass through the quarantine service despite the very low charges of between N1, 500 and N5, 000 the agency charges for its services.
We have seen the numerous problems that are supposedly caused by exporters, but one thing I can tell you is 90% of these problems are caused by clearing and forwarding agents. They are always looking for ways to cut corners and make illegal money for themselves.
They will collect money from exporters to get all the necessary papers for an export, yet they will not go to the quarantine service to get things done well, thereby causing problem for everybody in the value chain; really these clearing and forwarding agents are a big pain in the neck of exporters and also importers in the country.
They will want the agency to issue Phytosanitary certificate for commodities they did not physically see and inspect.
The DG said “We are encouraging exporters, that if they use a clearing agency for their goods they should just let us know. They should let the quarantine service know in all the zones and entry points, so that we can be an additional eye for them.”
It may interest you to know that the quarantine service is not at allowed at the ports, and the DG said “We are still appealing to the government so that the quarantine service, which has the mandate to inspect and certify agricultural produce, is allowed at the ports for us to be able to do what we are supposed to do.”
We will continue to trash this issue of rejection of our agricultural produce by international buyers until a lasting solution is found for the problem.
Don’t forget that we train exporters at our training centre so as to be able to do the right things at all times as regards their export business. Get in touch with our admin for more information.
Nigeria as a nation has passed through very difficult situations in terms of exportation of agricultural commodities.
For many years, the country as an agrarian nation and into export of agricultural commodities has continued to face various types of export rejections from different countries and economic blocks.
These countries, regions and economic blocks regularly reject Nigeria’s agro products at will causing the nation great economic losses. They always give various reasons for their actions which can be either that the commodities are banned or do not meet up with their country’s specifications on standard and food safety regulations.
It is important to note that there is an agency in the country that is entrusted with the responsibility of certification of the import and export of agricultural commodities that are not yet processed. The name of the agency is the Nigerian Quarantine Service (NAQS).
This agency has in the time past been bedeviled with so many difficulties which has made it very difficult for it to perform the assigned duties diligently.
We can confirm that the current Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammed Abubakar, has resolved to intervene in order to strengthen the agency’s export certification system.
Recently in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, the Director-General of the agency, NAQS, Dr. Vincent Isegbe, had a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development at the agency’s headquarters.
The DG told reporters that many issues were discussed about what to be done to tackle the problems facing exporters and export certification in Nigeria. Some of the issues discussed are: attitude of some Nigerian exporters who are unpatriotic, thereby giving the country a bad image overseas. They usually undermine due processes that are supposed to be followed in export business.
Surprisingly, the DG said that most of the rejections came from items like bark of trees. He said that they occupy more than 85% of the rejections. He said “It is not because our products are bad, it is because they were exporting things they were not supposed to be exporting; and once they flag us on that notice, you see rejection. When you find out the issues involved, you know that this is a prohibited item that was not supposed to have been exported.”
Dr. Isegbe revealed terrible actions of some unscrupulous Nigerian exporters who would stop at nothing in cutting corners; they will add prohibited items into already certified products, adding that such an action would invalidate what has been certified.
The DG said, “If you have vegetables and issue a certificate for it, and by some illegality you put something else, it means that what have been certified have been invalidated by that thing you have added. You have concealed something into a certified product, so that destroys the quality and certification for that product.”
The agency also lamented that most of the illegalities happen after they certified products for export, some of the exporters will even conceal them alongside other prohibited items.
He also said that another difficult issue is that some exporters do not want to pass through the quarantine service despite the very low charges of between N1, 500 and N5, 000 the agency charges for its services.
We have seen the numerous problems that are supposedly caused by exporters, but one thing I can tell you is 90% of these problems are caused by clearing and forwarding agents. They are always looking for ways to cut corners and make illegal money for themselves.
They will collect money from exporters to get all the necessary papers for an export, yet they will not go to the quarantine service to get things done well, thereby causing problem for everybody in the value chain; really these clearing and forwarding agents are a big pain in the neck of exporters and also importers in the country.
They will want the agency to issue Phytosanitary certificate for commodities they did not physically see and inspect.
The DG said “We are encouraging exporters, that if they use a clearing agency for their goods they should just let us know. They should let the quarantine service know in all the zones and entry points, so that we can be an additional eye for them.”
It may interest you to know that the quarantine service is not at allowed at the ports, and the DG said “We are still appealing to the government so that the quarantine service, which has the mandate to inspect and certify agricultural produce, is allowed at the ports for us to be able to do what we are supposed to do.”
We will continue to trash this issue of rejection of our agricultural produce by international buyers until a lasting solution is found for the problem.
Don’t forget that we train exporters at our training centre so as to be able to do the right things at all times as regards their export business. Get in touch with our admin for more information.
