The Nation Newspaper

Category: Agriculture

  • Regulators, food producers battle safety certifications

    Regulators, food producers battle safety certifications

    With the rising liberalisation of agro-industrial markets and the world-wide integration of food supply chains, the assurance of food quality and safety has become a major concern. Global agro commodities buyers  need  standardised products. Local food producers are expected to meet a wide range of international safety and quality certifications to export.  Given the situation, there is a need for industry, regulators to have a common level of knowledge on   safety standards required by the importers as well as exporters. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Nigeria is fast emerging as a hub for fruit and vegetables. Fresh vegetables produced in Lagos are exported to markets in England and the rest of Europe.

    Other agro commodities, such as cocoa, cashew nuts, sesame seeds and soya beans are shipped daily to markets in America and the European Union.

    But the occurrence of food scares and contamination is increasingly becoming a concern for food safety. This has effects on the agro commodities export business. For this reason, many international food processing companies demand that suppliers from Nigeria and other African countries be certificated and meet international safety standards before their produce can be accepted. This is to ensure confidence in the delivery of safer food, while continuing to improve food safety throughout the supply chain.

    The certifications and standards address food, packaging, packaging materials, storage and distribution for primary producers, manufacturers and distributors.

    These include Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Hygiene Practices (GHP), Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Distribution Practices (GDP).

    Consequently, regulatory frameworks and standards are being developed wherein trade and health issues are being addressed by prioritizing consumer protection over freedom of trade.

    Thus, it has become imperative for the industry and policy makers to adopt strong practices of food safety measures to remain sustainably competitive in export markets.

    The Coordinating Director, Nigeria Quarantine Service, (NIQS ), Dr Mike Nwaneri, said in the past importers of agro commodities raised concerns with officials about the quality control of exports. Subsequently, the service and the industry had a big challenge on its hands to deal with the issue thoroughly and ensure export reputation is protected, and quality is managed more thoroughly and effectively to all market destinations.

    He explained that food safety and agric health standards are designed to manage risks associated with the spread of plant and animal pests and diseases and the incidence of microbial pathogens, or contaminants in food.

    The standard for fresh fruit and vegetables is to ensure that produce is of acceptable quality, accurately labeled and that produce of unsatisfactory quality is kept off the market. To this end, he said plant quarantine check is applied to horticultural exports by inspectors at the airports, seaports, and extracting samples from a lot of produce.

    In exporting fruits and vegetables, Nwaneri said Nigeria complies as much as possible with the United Kingdom’s Food Safety Act of 1990. The testing laboratories are accredited to ISO 17025; 2000 by United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS).

    On the whole, he said the responsibility for ensuring food quality and safety for agro exports rests with stakeholders in the food supply chain, saying the measure covers the whole food supply and marketing chain, from primary production to final consumption and encompass all actors in exporting and importing countries.

    To prevent a situation where agro exports are rejected abroad, he urged farmers to improve on the quality and safety of their agricultural production.

    He said efforts have been made to equip officers with knowledge on international standards of food safety and quality, thereby enabling regulators to make judicious decisions relating to food contamination.

    One of the major sources of contamination in food systems occurs during the primary production stage – which is kept out of the ambit of the government agents.

    This therefore requires an extensive campaign that encourages implementation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) at the farm level.

    Speaking with The Nation, the Secretary, Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN), Mr Alagbada Adebola said customers have raised concerns about the quality of agro exports, saying the final delivered product is failing to match the standards of what’s been promised in the original contracts.

    He said the government and organised farmers should take pro-active steps to raise food safety standards to match global standards to prevent Nigeria’s agro commodities export from being rejected abroad.

    According to him, food export consignments regularly get rejected by various import markets due to non-compliance of preset regulations.

    He explained that food producers need to make concerted efforts to win the confidence of the importers on food safety – this is rooted from the sporadic food safety related issues (food poisoning) that occur across various food categories.

    This, according to him, requires an enabling implementation environment focused on developing right infrastructure to match the dynamically changing requirements of food safety and standards.

    Besides this, he stressed the need for more awareness and promotion campaign focused on food producers to encourage adherence to food safety standards.

    The implementation of international standards of food safety is fraught with numerous challenges. There is poor general awareness towards the hazards associated with unsafe food practices and the best practices to be followed,lack of basic supporting infrastructure such as testing labs, problems in traceability of product, especially in the upstream processors of the food chain – from the farm gate to the processing unit.

    Speaking with The Nation, food safety expert, Prof Stephen Fapohunda said consumers in industrialised countries have long had concerns about certain dimensions of food safety, especially the presence of chemical residues and various contaminants in food.

    According to him, there is a need for a common platform where all stakeholders in the industry can deliberate on the various ways by which the food safety systems can be further enhanced. The aim is to ignite discussions that helps develop a sustainable road map to overcome the safety challenges in the food processing industry.

    A collaborative approach towards ensuring the food safety,he maintained is key to ensuring the growth of food businesses.

    The Country Programme Manager, Solidaridad, Mr Alex Akinbo said his organisation is training farmers to enable them to get certification for their products to increase their market access.

    He said the scope targets consistent conformity to standards requirements, which assures product safety, quality and guaranteeing competition and acceptance on international market.

  • C/River disburses N100m to cooperatives

    he Cross River Government said it has disbursed N100 million micro-credit loans to 105 accredited Women Farmers’ Co-operative Societies, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Edak Iwuchukwu, has said..

    Mrs. Iwuchukwu said that the disbursement was done in collaboration with the state’s Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency (MEDA) and the Awake Project, adding that the ministry has embarked on a state-wide sensitisation of women to facilitate the formation of women cooperative societies so as to weave their development initiatives, and open credit windows for them.

    “After the exercise, 415 agro business women cooperatives were verified and accredited by the ministry and later handed over to MEDA and the Awake Project for the expansion of their farms,” she said.

    She explained that after inspection of their farms and documentation, 105 of the cooperatives were certified to access credit, adding that the others would access the loans as soon as their farms were verified and their documentation was completed by the assessment team currently in the field.

    The commissioner added that N200 million had been set aside for the second set of beneficiaries, adding that women cooperative societies interested in trading were also being verified for the same purpose.

    “When the exercise is concluded, micro-credit will equally be disbursed to enable them to expand their businesses and add value to their lives, ‘’ she said.

    The commissioner said that the ministry was collaborating with the wife of the state governor on broad social programmes for widows in the 18 local government areas of Cross River.

  • Amosun makes case for cocoa processing, consumption

    Ogun State Governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has called for improved cocoa processing to spur higher earnings.

    Amosun, made this known at the Third Round Table on Nigeria Cocoa Value Chain in Abeokuta with the theme: ”Promoting local cocoa consumption in Nigeria: Myths and realities.”

    According to him, the government’s support for the local processing and consumption have been identified as germane if the produce is to deliver on its potentials as a source of revenue generation, wealth creation and employment generation.

    Represented by the Deputy Governor, Prince Segun Adesegun, Amosun, said if given priority in the National Development Agenda, local cocoa processing would enhance local consumption of the produce and by extension improve the livelihood of cocoa farmers across the country.

    He said as part of efforts aimed at boosting agricultural productivity and improving the livelihood of a stakeholders along the cocoa value chain, his government had raised and sold one million high yielding cocoa seedlings to farmers at subsidised rate and has also taken advantage of the Federal Government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda on cocoa where registered cocoa farmers get inputs for their farms at 50 per cent subsidy while Federal and state governments pay the balance for the input at 25 per cent each.

    “The state government has chosen Increased Agricultural Production and Industrialisation (IAPI), as one of its five-cardinal programmes. The programme as conceptualised is expected to transform the state’s agricultural sector to a more vibrant commercial entity that will position the state as the food basket of the nation, a dependable source of raw materials for agro-based industries, generate employment opportunities and attain desirable level of export for improved overall foreign exchange earnings of the country,” he said.

    Amosun, explained further that cocoa beans generated by government’s intervention are expected to feed the two cocoa processing industries located in the state.

    Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Ronke Sokefun, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Lanre Bisiriyu, said that the government has approved the establishment of 150 hectares of cocoa farm plantation by unemployed agricultural science graduates.

    In his welcome address, Chief Operating Office, Centre for Cocoa Development Initiatives, Mr. Oghenerobo Adhuze, said promoting local utilisation of cocoa products was inevitable if the country aspires to have a sustainable cocoa economy.

  • Niger spends N10.7billion on fertiliser

    The Niger State Government spent N10.7 billion on the implementation of some of its agricultural programmes in the past four years, Governor Babangida Aliyu has said.

    Aliyu, represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Ahmed Matane, at the opening of a stakeholders meeting of staple crops processing zones in Minna, the state capital, said his administration spent N7.5 billion on the procurement and sale of fertiliser at subsidised rates.

    He said the government had ensured a hitch-free sale of fertiliser, adding, that had helped to boost farmers’ productivity.

    He said the government also procured 241 tractors at the cost of N1.5 billion for sale to cooperative groups and large-scale farmers to enhance mechanised farming.

    Aliyu said his administration expended N1 billion on the implementation of commercial agriculture scheme in the state.

    He said the Ministry of Agriculture had procured and sold to the public, grains valued at N757 million, adding that grains were also distributed free-of-charge to indigent members of the society.

    Aliyu said the state government had resuscitated the agricultural extension services to enable farmers adopt and improve on their productivity.

  • 57,046 farmers get maize, other input

    No fewer than 57,046 farmers in Ebonyi State have benefited from the provision of agricultural input under the Federal Government Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES).

    The scheme was launched to assist registered small scale farmers to assess fertiliser at subsidised rates.

    The Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Ebonyi, Dr Anslem Opara, said in Abakaliki that the rice and maize seeds were distributed free to the farmers.

    He said 5,704.6 tonnes (114,092 bags) of rice and 22.50 tonnes (1,125 bags) of maize were distributed to registered farmers.

    Opara, who is also the Chairman, Growth Enhancement Support Working Group in Ebonyi, said that 20 accredited agro-dealers were used to drive the programme in the 20 redemption centres.

    He said 20 ‘helpline staff’ each from the state and Federal Government were deployed to work with the agro-dealers in the redemption centres to ensure transparency in the distribution.

    “Heads of Agric Departments in the local governments also provided supervisory support,” he said.

    Opara said 734 bags of rice and 159 bags of maize were recovered after the distribution exercise.

    He said the surplus bags of rice and maize would be used to drive large scale rice farmers’ scheme which would commence in two weeks time.

    “A total of 1,065 and 25.68 bags of rice and maize were provided by the Federal Government to be distributed to rice and maize farmers in Ebonyi.

    ‘‘The rice was distributed to the farmers at 25kg per farmer and 12.5kg in some cases based on directive.

    “At the end of the exercise, 57,046 farmers received the input this year as against 5,591 farmers in 2012,” he said.

    Opara said some bags of treated rice were traced to a mill at Abakaliki Rice Mill complex.

    He said that the matter was reported to the police who promptly confiscated the bags of rice, and warned that any farmer that diverts his seeds would be prosecuted.

  • Power vital to food production, says expert

    The economy cannot grow without reliable and adequate power supply, Director, African Region, Cassava Adding Value to Africa (C:AVA) Dr Kola Adebayo has said.

    According to him, the rise in managing power supply costs was cutting into their profits of food production and adding to their losses.

    He said the nation is endowed with varied renewable energy resources.

    To improve food production, Adebayo said the government should support farmers to explore low cost electricity from sources.

    According to him, farmers need cost-effective and sustainable energy strategy to improve food production. Getting more renewable energy across the country, he noted, will give farmers more security and a greater degree of energy independence – helping to shield them from fuel price fluctuation.

    Farmers, hit by frequent and unscheduled power cuts, he advised, should show interest in alternative sources of energy to power their operations.

    Nigeria is an agrarian nation and produces vast amounts of farm waste every year. Most of that farm waste, he noted can be turned into technology of generating electricity from biomass, he added.

  • Fed Govt to stop rice importation in 2014

    To grow the local market, the Federal Government will stop rice importation next year, a Director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Adebisi Buhari, has said.

    To this end, the government, he said, was facilitating massive cultivation of rice.

    The government, he said, would also stop the importation of other products that can be produced locally, adding that he is optimistic that the objective would be realised.

    Buhari said the government would work with communities and private firms to boost production in the country, adding that the government would encourage private sector involvement in the development of the agriculture sector, particularly rice production.

    Stressing that food importation was affecting the nation, Buhari said the government was collaborating with Pategi and Share communities in Kwara State to establish high capacity rice mills to boost production.

    He said the government had provided platforms for farmers to access loans and other incentives to improve crop production in the country.

    Buhari urged Nigerians to key into the transformation of the sector to because agriculture is a veritable business to boost the economy.

    The government, he said, would provide a level playing ground for prospective farmers to invest in the sector, to ensure its sustainability.

    Meanwhile, the Institute for Rice Research in Birnin Kebbi State, will produce 1.8 tonnes of rice this year.

    Its Head, Mr Phillips Ibrahim, told the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu, that the institute had prepared 50 hectares of farmland in four different parts of the state for large-scale rice production.

    He said: “The target is to produce 1.8 tonnes of the commodity this year”.

    Four of the centres,he said were in Yauri local government area for rice farming and two in Zuru local government area for soya beans production.

    While commending the state government for supporting the centres, Ibrahim requested for vehicles to improve monitoring and expansion of the scheme as well as accommodation for staff.

    The institute, he said, would support farmers in the area of on modern farming techniques for high yield.

    Responding, the deputy governor said the state would collaborate with the institute for commercial rice production, using modern techniques.

    Aliyu said the support would boost the quest for food security and economic benefits to farmers.

  • Nasarawa opts out of agric scheme

    The Nasarawa State Government has opted out of the fertiliser component of the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES) under the Federal Government’s agricultural transformation agenda, the Commissioner for Information and Reorientation, Hamza Elayo, has said.

    Addressing reporters after the State Executive Council’s meeting, he said the government opted out of the e-wallet system of fertiliser distribution because of some challenges.

    According to him, most farmers in the rural communities in the state were not able to access fertiliser during the last cropping season.

    The commissioner said this was as a result of their inability to use mobile phones as required by the e-wallet scheme.

    He said the delay in the allocation of fertiliser to states under the GES scheme was another factor that affected farmers adversely in the state last cropping season.

    He said the council applauded the state government’s initiative to buy and distribute 4,500 tonnes of fertiliser to farmers across the state in the cropping season.

    “Council noted with satisfaction the success so far recorded with the new fertiliser distribution mechanism of government by making fertiliser available at all polling units for farmers to buy,” he added.

    The commissioner maintained that the new approach to fertiliser distribution resulted in a glut of the product in the state, adding that it would be sustained.

    Elayo said the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) had been mandated to embark on advocacy to avert devastation.

    In Adamawa, no fewer than 360,000 farmers have registered for the Federal the scheme.

    Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Adamawa Branch Mr Venantius Jiddere said at the start of the e-wallet-based agricultural scheme in the state: “This is a remarkable event in the lives of over 360,000 farmers who have been registered.

    “But out of the total, only 201,555 farmers have been captured and are the beneficiaries of the e-Wallet for the farming season in the state,’’ he said.

    He said the remaining un-captured farmers would be recorded next year and would also benefit from the agricultural subsidy enjoyed by their colleagues.

    He said the exercise was smooth, adding that many peasant farmers who had not benefited from farm input subsidy were now receiving.

    “Over 30,000 farmers have received similar subsidy assistance from the state government in the past three years.

    “These farmers have also received training and acquired skills in various agricultural ventures,’’ Jiddere added.

    He said the sustenance of agricultural sector was not only about the distribution of fertiliser, but the transformation from traditional farming to mechanised system.

    He said there was need for farmers to shift from traditional farming to the advanced system of farming with the support of agricultural research institutes.

    He said the proposed expansion of national agro-based industries would not be realistic if the government continued to neglect and politicise the sector.

    Jiddere said most of the loans by commercial banks were not getting to the peasant farmers.

    He urged the government to look at agricultural insurance, pointing out that due to the poor insurance policy, a lot of farmers lost billions of naira yearly.

    He said there was need for the government to ensure the realisation of national food security and agricultural development through proper agricultural insurance policy.

    He said Nigeria had the potential of feeding itself and exporting foods, but because of the poor agricultural policy and implementation, the country still imported foods from other nations.

  • Agency: food tracing vital to consumers’ health

    THE Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service(NAQS) is canvassing for the tracing of sources of agro commodities from the farm to food centres to protect consumers.

    NAQS Director, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service Dr Mike Nwaneri said tracing would help the government and the private sector to protect and improve food supply.

    NAQS, he said,would assist companies to trace paths of agro commodities through the supply chain to improve food safety and mitigate devastating health consequences.

    He described NAQS as a focal point where industry, academic institutions, governments and groups can collaborate to adopt best practices and implement practical and actionable traceability solutions.

    The industry, Nwaneri said, was determined to upgrade the agric export food safety and quality management system for participating firms to meet international standards and market demand.

    The service, he said, would provide technical assistance to ensure that the agricultural exports comply with international standards and regulations.

    According to him, NAQS will offer farmers value-added services that are integral to the industry’s growth.

  • Ministry, others to check pesticides’use

    THe Federal Government has struck a deal with an international agency on the use of pesticides on crops.

    This agreement followed the finding of pesticide residues in food items above the tolerated level.

    The West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria), the Federal Ministry of Environment and the National Environmental Standards & Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abuja to regulate the use of pesticides.

    National Project Coordinator, WAAPP Prof. Damian Chikwendu, said that the MoU would boost implementation of pesticide registration, regulation and use as specified by the ministry and NESREA and also help in the realisation of the domestication and implementation of Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) regulations guidelines and policies on pesticides.

    Some farmers use chemical pesticides to control insects and diseases on their crops. Exposure to the pesticides through the skin, on the eyes or through inhalation or ingestion, have been linked with death, cancer, birth defects and damage to the nervous system.