FG moves to tackle agric commodities’ export rejections, sets up TWG

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – THE Federal Government, Monday, moved to tackle agricultural commodities’ rejections by inaugurating a Technical WorkingGroup, TWG, on Agricultural Produce Residue Standards.

The Minister of State for Agriculture and FoodSecurity, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, speaking on the inauguration of the TWG said themove is to reposition Nigeria’s agricultural competitiveness in the globalstage.Abdullahi noted that the rejections had caused Nigeriato make huge economic losses, reduced market confidence, and missedopportunities for farmers, exporters, and agribusinesses. 

Meanwhile, the TWG on Agricultural Produce ResidueStandards is to address rejection of agricultural commodities due tonon-compliance with Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) and other sanitary andphytosanitary requirements following recurring export rejections.The Terms of Reference for the TWG are asfollows: identify relevant agencies to provide useful information for athorough review of existing national frameworks policies and guidelinesrelating to residue management and contaminants in the selected priority crops;The relevant agencies should suggest contact persons and provide their contactdetails; Develop and deploy a survey instrument to generate a detailed overviewof the current state of pesticide residues and contaminants in the selectedpriority crops in the country; Identifyregulatory, institutional and operational gaps in residue and contaminantmanagement in the country; Suggest interventions for bridging the identifiedgaps with the view of providing a working document that will improve residueand contaminant management in the selected priority crops; and submit a reportto the Honourable Minister of State FMAFS within two months from the date ofinauguration.He said: “Another significant milestone in the FederalGovernment’s commitment to ensuring food safety and strengthening Nigeria’scompetitiveness in regional and international agricultural markets.“Over the years, Nigeria has recorded several cases ofexport rejections of agricultural commodities due to non-compliance withMaximum Residue Limits (MRLs) and other sanitary and phytosanitaryrequirements.“The growing concerns over pesticide residues,contaminants, and food safety issues demand a coordinated, science-based, andmulti-sectoral response.

This underscores the necessity for establishing thisTechnical Working Group.” Meanwhile, the Minister explained that the TWG willserve as “a strategic platform for bringing together experts from governmentinstitutions, regulatory agencies, academia, research institutions, the privatesector, commodity associations, and development partners to address challengesrelating to agricultural produce residue standards in Nigeria.”According to the Minister, members of the TWG wereselected based on their track record of convincing expertise, experience, andcommitment to advancing Nigeria’s agricultural sector, therefore, charged themto develop practical, implementable, and sustainable solutions that willstrengthen national food control systems, improve farmer compliance with safepesticide use practices, and support access to premium markets for Nigerianagricultural products, adding that the recommendations should beevidence-based, inclusive, and aligned with global best practices while takinginto account local realities.He also expressed optimism that the TWG’s assignmentwill safeguard the lives of Nigerians in terms of public health, improve thequality and safety of Nigerian agricultural produce, increase export earnings,and reduce post-harvest losses associated with market restrictions.In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, DrMarcus Ogunbiyi, represented by the Director, Federal Department ofAgriculture, Mr Bukar Musa, said agriculture remains “a critical pillar ofNigeria’s economy, contributing significantly to food security, employmentgeneration, foreign exchange earnings, and rural development.” However, Ogunbiyi warned that the increasing rejectionof Nigerian agricultural exports due to non-compliance with internationalresidue standards “poses a serious challenge to our export aspirations andthreatens the livelihoods of our farmers and agribusiness operators.”The Permanent Secretary noted the diverse expertisewithin the TWG, describing the inauguration as “the beginning of a criticaljourney towards establishing a robust agricultural produce residue managementframework for Nigeria.”He expressed appreciation to the Minister of State forthe initiative, saying it “underscores the Federal Government’s commitment tostrengthening agricultural quality assurance systems, enhancing food safety, andpromoting the competitiveness of Nigerian agricultural products.”Responding on behalf of the Technical Working Group,the Chairman, Prof. Lateef Oladimeji San stated that the inauguration marks “asignificant step” to strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural quality assurance systemand ensure produce “meets acceptable residue standards in line with global bestpractices.” He explained that the TWG’s mandate includes reviewingexisting standards, harmonizing national guidelines with internationalbenchmarks, and strengthening laboratory capacity for monitoring andenforcement.

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