The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar has said that if plant health is not given priority, the quest for food security will be a mirage and farmers will be unable to export their products to the international market.
The Minister who said this during a press conference to mark this year’s International Day of Plant Health, organised by the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), said plant health is being accorded its rightful priority position in public policy and national planning.
He said due to negligence of plant health, Nigeria loses 50 per cent of its annual farm gate values to pest infestation.
“We must take plant health seriously because plants are in constant danger of attack by viruses, bacteria, nematodes, insects, aphids and fungi.
“These plant health threats undermine food security and increase the vulnerability of livelihoods dependent on crop value chains. In Nigeria, we lose 50% of our annual farm gate value to the damages of pests. They cause yield and quality losses, reduce food availability, and increase food prices.
“The threats to plant health have proliferated with the increase in international trade and travel, resulting in growth in the volume and diversity of plants and plant products that arrive in different countries.
“Likewise, changes in land use, and changes in rainfall patterns due to the effects of climate change, are heightening the risk of pest establishment, spread and impact”, the Minister said.
He said healthy plants are at the very core of food security and the country’s ability to meet its nutritional needs and dietary preferences hinges on the status of our plant health.
“Healthy plants mean a thriving economy. The healthier our plant resources are, the more business value we can generate from crop agriculture, and create decent jobs in the crop value chains.
“Equally important, healthy plants boost the confidence of our trading partners in the quality and safety of plants and plant products we export”, the Minister added.
Speaking on pesticides usage, Dr Abubakar said one of Nigeria’s challenges in plant health is the uncontrolled use of plant protection products.
“The use of Sniper and other lethal chemicals to store food products is dangerous and deadly. Incorrect, inappropriate and abusive application of pesticides and herbicides can imperil human and animal health and the environment.
“The World Trade Organization (WTO) categorizes these plant contaminants and pests as impediments to trade”, he noted.
The Director-General of NAQS, Dr Vincent Isegbe said that the quarantine service would continue to maintain plant health, animal health and fish health to meet international standards and help generate economic growth.
Dr Isegbe said most of the agricultural produce that are been rejected by European Countries was because both the owner and the exporter did not package the produces to meet international standards.
He said “Nigeria is blessed with different agricultural produce and we can make money from them when we export them but there was the need to subject the goods to pre-requisite quarantine inspection and certification before dispatch.
But the problem is that other countries come to Nigeria and buy agricultural produce such as ginger, garlic and so on then go to repackage them and export them.
” We want to work with stakeholders along the value chain to ensure that Nigeria agricultural produces make it out and this will help us generate money for Nigeria and our farmers.
He said most of the medicinal plants we export need to be grinded and packaged before exporting otherwise they would be prohibited
He said that the EU accepts both live and frozen agricultural produces provided that they are free from pests and diseases, adding that NAQS always ensures that all export-bound agricultural produce are properly processed in line with good hygienic practices.
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