NEPC sensitises beans value chain operators on export standard

IN a bid to cause the lifting of the ban placed on the exportation of Nigerian dried beans by the EU due to a high level of pesticide residue. The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), has put together a one-day sensitisation workshop for beans value chain operators.

Speaking during the event which held at Ibadan Business School, Ibadan, on Tuesday, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, NEPC, Mr Olusegun Awolowo, who was represented by a senior official at NEPC, Mr Samuel Oyeyipo, noted that the sensitisation workshop is an additional effort by the NEPC at reducing the incidence of rejection of agricultural exports to the EU and other parts of the world.

He further informed that in order to address the issue, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in collaboration with the NEPC and members of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Zero-Rejects have embarked on series of activities to address the ban.

Awolowo listed some of the activities as the development of the concept of Conduits of Excellence (CoE), development of the Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) and Integral Export Control Plan for dried and processed beans products.

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He also hinted that these activities are expected to improve the quality, safety, integrity, Standards and marketability of Nigerian agricultural commodities for regional and international markets.

“The NEPC is organising this sensitisation workshop for beans value chain operators to address outstanding issues relating to enlightening participants on the appropriate storage methods for dried beans.

“investigation has revealed that harmful chemicals are applied during storage, hence the need to create awareness to stem this tide.”

He, however, expressed delight over the commitment shown by practitioners, saying that he is convinced that with strict adherence to best storage practices, there would be a huge decrease of the reject of Nigeria’s non-oil exports.

The Chairman, technical session of the workshop, the immediate past Director General, The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and a consultant to UNIDO on export value chain, Dr John Isemede, urged participants to make good use of all they have been told in order to bring back Nigerian beans exportation to reckon.

The resource person, who is the Executive Director, Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Dr (Mrs) Patricia Pessu, represented by Mrs Grace Otitodun, took participants on the rudiments of preservation and storage of beans which meet exportation standards.