To find lasting solutions to the problem of Nigeria non-oil export rejects abroad, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has extended hands of collaboration to critical stakeholders in the nation’s ports with a view to working together to revamp the export trade in the non-oil sector and reduce the rejection of Nigerian products thereby, positioning the country in a better state in the global market.
Recall that in 2021, Nigeria exported $57.7 billion of goods, making it the world’s 52nd most exporting country. Cocoa beans, sesame seeds, cashew and seven other products top the list of agricultural commodities Nigeria exported within the first nine months of 2022, generating N427.6 billion or $1.02billion.
The director general, NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, at a consultative meeting with Pre-shipment Inspection Agents over the weekend, reiterated that, huge volume of Nigeria’s exported agricultural commodities were often rejected by the European Union (EU) for not meeting required standards, adding that EU countries seized about 82 per cent of Nigeria’s agricultural products exported illegally.
The DG, NAFDAC listed the following as reasons for export rejects: “Technical Barrier issues e.g., defective packaging and inadequate labelling.
Non-Documentation, Unauthorised transition, Illegal importation, Non-compliance to destination markets’ standards, the EU will reject consignments containing food that do not comply with EU maximum residue limits (MRLs) for Vet Medicine and Pesticides, and maximum limits (MLs) for Contaminants in foods.
