Yam exporters call for reduction of agencies at port terminals

 Yam exporters call for reduction of agencies at port terminals
…as FG promises to tackle challenges soon


ABUJA- SOME yam exporters have called on the federal government to reduce agencies at port terminals that make export of the commodity difficult to other parts of the world.
According to them at a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, at the weekend, the operation of these multiple agencies poses threat to the policy of the government of exporting Nigerian yams to the United States of America, USA, and United Kingdom, UK, following the unnecessary money spent on documents that are not relevant and time wasted to ship the commodity.
In his remarks the Chairman Technical Committee on Yam, Prof Simon Irtwange, said the major agencies that has to do with yam export basically remains the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service, NAQS, and Nigerian Customs Service
According to Irtwange in the US those at the ports were manned by the Federal Department of Agriculture, Customs, and Border Protection, which he said they want it replicated in Nigeria also.
“When we got to the United States for instance, the authorities there asked us only for the 'Phytosanitary certificate' which is issued by the Nigerian Agriculture Quarantine Service here in Nigeria. But here, they gave us NAFDAC, NDLEA,SSS, clearances and other multiples of agencies issuing their own which they described as unnecessary.
“We need to reduce the number of regulatory agencies that are at the port terminals, and are often not required by European Union and United States Regulatory standards”, he stated.
Lamenting the frustration experienced at the port in Nigeria, a yam exporter and Managing Director, ABX World, John Okakpu, said the European and American authorities were majorly concerned with custom clearance and phytosanitary certification.
“When we got to Europe, the European officials asked for only two documents. One is the quarantine certificate which is the 'Phyto-sanitary certification' and the second requirement was the customs release.
“The retinue of agencies at the ports created stumbling blocks and made us not deliver our yams on time, and we missed the flight for exports”, Okakpu said.
Meanwhile, the Coordinating Director, Nigerian Quarantine Service, NAQS, Dr Vincent Isegbe, said there was no cause for alarm over the propaganda of exported yam rejection, which was due to logistics issues that made the yam got bad, which the exporter during his press conference indicated clearly that the shipping line and the agent that he used failed him, and it has been corrected.
“ABX world, a yam exporting company has successfully under quarantine services guidance exported yam, Okro, Sweet Potatoes to the European market without any hitches.
“The farmer or the exporter who wants to export yams must know where the yam is going to, which would assist the quarantine service on necessary export procedures, to the satisfaction of country of destination requirements.
“Countries demand that quarantine submit the pest risk analysis for a particular crop and ensure ‎their pest risk analysis report are submitted to them earlier before the crop makes its way to countries of destination in order to avoid export rejects”, Isegbe stated.
According to him the selection of the yam remains important, because they are selected from the farm not from the markets, which currently NAQS has started training farmers on sanitary procedures and other issues to ensure avoidance of export rejects.
“Movement from Park House to shipment is also key.The pre-cooling procedure must be well monitored to ensure the sun doesn't heat it beyond 18 degree Celsius”, he added.

In his speech,the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, maintained that government will ensure the ease if doing business in the country, and that the yam exporters’ concern will be tackled soon.
"The economy is run by the private sector, and we would continue to give you the needed support with the right kind of policy, and clearing away all stumbling blocks”, Ogbeh stated.


Comments

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