Post by Trade facilitator on May 20, 2013 8:22:01 GMT 1
The Federal Government has said it would assist exporters of non oil products to address the bottlenecks associated with exports of food produce to European countries.
The move, according to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, would help to facilitate trade to the United Kingdom and countries in the European Union.
Aganga stated this at a workshop and exhibition on export of Nigerian food produce to the UK. The workshop, with theme ‘Export of food produce to the United Kingdom’ was organised by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Dauda Kigbu, said the capacity building workshop would also help to reduce complaints by exporters regarding the rejection of traditional food exports by the UK Border Agency.
He said: “In view of the strict importance attached to internationally accepted procedures and documentation, especially where food consumables are concerned, this workshop could not have come at a better period-more so, as the nation looks to diversifying its economic base from oil to non oil.
“The imperative remains that our exporters have to update themselves and adhere to new conditions for the export of food produce recently issued by the Director General of European Commission’s Health and Consumer Directorate in Brussels.”
Also speaking at the event, the EU Head, Import Control Agency, UK, Mr. Michael Glavin, said for the country to fully harness the potential of non oil export, challenges such as compliance with EU laws and agriculture processing needed to be addressed.
He said: “One of the reasons why we are here is to advise and to give more information to Nigerian exporters on how European Union laws can be interpreted and give as much advise and follow ups as to how Nigerian exporters can improve compliance over the next period of months to facilitate trade coming into the UK because if you can come into the UK, you are also entitled to come into other 31 countries as well
“We are looking at infrastructure because Nigeria exports fish very well to UK and EU. We are looking to making sure on how to advise how meat exports could be looked at, we are looking to advice on what we call critical control points in Nigeria agriculture industry and in the processing side of the industry to bring it up to line with EU laws.”
The NEPC Executive Secretary, Mr. David Adulugba, who also spoke at the event, said with the workshop, the country would begin to witness a quantum leap in the volume of non oil export.
“The British market consistently tops the first 10 chart list of importers of Nigerian goods, and in any case, they have been our traditional trading partner of old. We are looking at it from superlative terms now. Whatever it is now we want to make it 100 per cent higher. It is no longer going to be business as usual, we must move higher this time around,” he added.
Source: www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-to-remove-barrier-on-food-export-to-europe/147932/
The move, according to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, would help to facilitate trade to the United Kingdom and countries in the European Union.
Aganga stated this at a workshop and exhibition on export of Nigerian food produce to the UK. The workshop, with theme ‘Export of food produce to the United Kingdom’ was organised by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Dauda Kigbu, said the capacity building workshop would also help to reduce complaints by exporters regarding the rejection of traditional food exports by the UK Border Agency.
He said: “In view of the strict importance attached to internationally accepted procedures and documentation, especially where food consumables are concerned, this workshop could not have come at a better period-more so, as the nation looks to diversifying its economic base from oil to non oil.
“The imperative remains that our exporters have to update themselves and adhere to new conditions for the export of food produce recently issued by the Director General of European Commission’s Health and Consumer Directorate in Brussels.”
Also speaking at the event, the EU Head, Import Control Agency, UK, Mr. Michael Glavin, said for the country to fully harness the potential of non oil export, challenges such as compliance with EU laws and agriculture processing needed to be addressed.
He said: “One of the reasons why we are here is to advise and to give more information to Nigerian exporters on how European Union laws can be interpreted and give as much advise and follow ups as to how Nigerian exporters can improve compliance over the next period of months to facilitate trade coming into the UK because if you can come into the UK, you are also entitled to come into other 31 countries as well
“We are looking at infrastructure because Nigeria exports fish very well to UK and EU. We are looking to making sure on how to advise how meat exports could be looked at, we are looking to advice on what we call critical control points in Nigeria agriculture industry and in the processing side of the industry to bring it up to line with EU laws.”
The NEPC Executive Secretary, Mr. David Adulugba, who also spoke at the event, said with the workshop, the country would begin to witness a quantum leap in the volume of non oil export.
“The British market consistently tops the first 10 chart list of importers of Nigerian goods, and in any case, they have been our traditional trading partner of old. We are looking at it from superlative terms now. Whatever it is now we want to make it 100 per cent higher. It is no longer going to be business as usual, we must move higher this time around,” he added.
Source: www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-to-remove-barrier-on-food-export-to-europe/147932/
