FG moves to end agricultural export rejections

By Abubakar Yunus,Abuja

The Federal Government on Tuesday inaugurated an Interministerial Committee on the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service to strengthen the country’s agricultural biosecurity, reduce the rejection of Nigerian exports in international markets, and boost non-oil revenue.
The inauguration, held at the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in Abuja, brought together representatives of key Ministries, Departments and Agencies, regulatory bodies, research institutions, farmers’ groups and other stakeholders to develop a coordinated framework for an efficient agricultural quarantine system.
Inaugurating the committee on behalf of the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Deborah Odoh, said Nigeria could no longer afford the huge losses arising from the rejection of agricultural exports over failure to meet international standards.
She said, “Nigeria can no longer afford the losses associated with the rejection of agricultural exports due to non-compliance with international standards.”
Odoh said the committee would improve policy coordination, remove institutional bottlenecks, harmonise regulatory processes and align Nigeria’s agricultural quarantine system with global best practices.
She urged members to discharge their responsibilities with professionalism and patriotism, expressing confidence that their recommendations would strengthen Nigeria’s biosecurity framework, improve agricultural trade, increase non-oil exports and raise farmers’ incomes.
“The inauguration of this committee marks another important milestone in the Federal Government’s efforts to build a resilient agricultural sector, strengthen food security and position Nigeria as a leading exporter of safe and high-quality agricultural products,” she added.
Speaking at the meeting, the Comptroller-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service, Dr Vincent Isegbe, described the agency as Nigeria’s first line of defence against the spread of plant, animal and aquatic pests and diseases.
He explained that the agency conducts pest risk analysis, inspection, surveillance and certification to ensure agricultural commodities entering and leaving Nigeria comply with internationally accepted standards.
Isegbe said strengthening the quarantine system would reduce the rejection of Nigerian agricultural exports, improve foreign exchange earnings and create more opportunities for farmers, exporters and agribusinesses.
According to him, unlocking Nigeria’s vast agricultural potential requires stronger collaboration among institutions responsible for agriculture, trade, finance, customs, transportation, research, laboratory accreditation and border security.
Earlier, the Director of Economic Growth at the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Auwal Mohammed, described the committee’s inauguration as a major step towards improving inter-agency collaboration to support agricultural development, food security and economic diversification.
He said effective agricultural quarantine remained critical to protecting Nigeria’s crops, livestock, fisheries and natural resources from transboundary pests and diseases while ensuring compliance with international sanitary and phytosanitary standards.
The committee is expected to review proposals aimed at strengthening the operational capacity of NAQS, assess infrastructure and laboratory needs, recommend sustainable funding mechanisms and develop strategies to improve compliance with global sanitary standards and promote Nigeria’s agricultural exports.