Abuja, Aug. 18, 2024 – The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC}, Cocoa Processors Association of Nigeria (COPAN) and other stakeholders in food have agreed to collaborate to stop rejection of Nigerian processed cocoa and other food exports.
According to a statement issued by Sayo Akintola, the Resident Media Consultant to NAFDAC, this was one of the resolutions reached at an interactive session of cocoa stakeholders on the draft NAFDAC export regulations 2024 in Lagos.
Speaking at the session, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director General of NAFDAC, allayed the fears initially expressed by the stakeholders on the draft Cocoa regulations that the Agency posted on its website for comments.
She said the meeting was aimed at creating a platform to discuss critical issues of trade facilitation and how both the agency and stakeholders could forge a common front, speak with one voice for the mutual good of the country.
Adeyeye described the regulations as the legal instruments for control and elucidation of standards for the compliance of all stakeholders in the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale and use of regulated products.
‘’As you are all aware, often, our regulated products which are packaged, and for most of the time, exported without NAFDAC certification failed at the entry borders and reports have accumulated to put Nigeria at a disadvantage in international commerce.’’
She said NAFDAC had continued to pursue regulatory interventions at both local and international levels to ensure that the nation would not totally and completely be banned from exporting any kind of food product in international commerce.
She recalled that during a similar export stakeholders’ engagement at the Digital Bridge Institute, Lagos in May 2024, the Industry and the regulators, including sister government agencies, agreed to join hands to push the frontiers of regulated product export to the next level in the interest of all stakeholders and the nation at large.
Adeyeye said these regulatory interventions were critical for the survival of Nigeria’s trade across international borders where trade laws and compliance are viewed with serious evaluation.
‘’Today’s engagement is, therefore, meant to put these concerns in perspective, to bridge the knowledge gap and allay all fears to foster the necessary collaboration required to move our regulated product exports to the desired rating in international trade.’’
She said NAFDAC had the statutory mandate, as competent authority, to certify regulated products for export, and with laboratories suitably qualified and accredited to perform testing and certification of regulated products for export.
NAFDAC boss said that regulation of exports is not a revenue generation opportunity for NAFDAC, but a regulatory role to facilitate unimpeded trade between the exporters and the importing countries with a view to eliminating food exports rejection in the EU countries and the U.S. by adhering to international standards.
She said that whatever is on the Website is not the finality, but for openness and transparency in all what the Agency was doing.
She also assured stakeholders that if a product for export is already registered with NAFDAC, the agency would have less work to do as , companies on the agency’s database would require less visitations.
“The most important thing is to have confidence in your product. For us what’s most important is that your product is not rejected in the importing country”.
She disclosed that Handholding will start with cocoa producers based on the presumption that some of them were already registered with the Agency, while those that were not registered, would equally be accommodated.
‘’We will look at those on our records and categorise them into low, medium and high risk which requires random visitations for those that have been complying with the regulatory requirements,” she said.
Dr Olusola Obajimu, the Director General of NACCIMA, expressed joy that the proposed regulation is not necessarily a revenue generation drive, but achieving global standard to ensure that Nigeria realizes its export potential.
He pledged the support of the stakeholders to ensure that the nation improves it foreign exchange revenue drive through non-oil export trade in collaboration with NAFDAC.
Mr. Yusuf Isiaka, a representative of COPAN and Managing Director of Multi-Trex Integrated Foods Plc, said: ‘’we are very happy to see signs around today’s gathering that NAFDAC of today is a collaborative one.’’ (GBN)
