Nigerian agricultural exports are still being rejected

Overseas markets still reject Nigerian agricultural products despite the presence of many federal agencies dedicated to quality assurance. This undermines our efforts to diversify our foreign exchange earning sources.

Over 70% of our agricultural exports are rejected overseas, according to a complaint made in May of this year by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), one of the organizations in charge of promoting quality assurance for our agricultural exports. This was ascribed by the Agency’s Director General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, to the inadequate export facilitation for regulated goods.

While clarifying this trend, Christopher Bielecki, the USDA’s Counselor for Agriculture Affairs, stated during a recent workshop in Nigeria that our food exports are turned down in the US due to safety concerns.

Speaking at a seminar hosted by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) in association with both local and international partners, Bielecki stated: “I have had conversations with Nigerian producers who face obstacles in marketing their produce to the global market, which includes the United States of America. They have shown a significant rejection rate, most of which can be attributed to inadequate food safety documentation.

Astonishingly, our attempts to market our agricultural products abroad are still hindered by inadequate regulations. That ought to be handled by the several regulatory bodies that we have. NAFDAC is unquestionably among them. The Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), which seems to be a copy of NAFDAC, is another.

The responsibility of guaranteeing that our food exports adhere to international standards falls on the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service or NAQS. Another organization that certifies export conformance organizations to guarantee the marketability of Nigerian food exports is the Nigerian National Accreditation Service or NINAS. A lip service is given to their mandates by these and other bodies.

The necessity of these agencies working together is emphasized in every public forum, yet little is done once that is said. It was heavily stressed throughout the Muhammadu Buhari administration how important it was to diversify our sources of foreign exchange earnings. Mr. Audu Ogbe, a seasoned supporter of that, was appointed Minister of Agriculture. He made a vow to reverse the appalling foreign rejection of our products, but he was unable to produce any noticeable change.

We expect the Bola Tinubu administration to improve these regulatory institutions and clear any obstacles to interagency cooperation. There might be a need to combine or eliminate some of these agencies.

To guarantee that Nigerian exports have a more favourable experience in the global market, a presidential mandate is necessary.

Our reliance on the sale of crude oil must end.