The Federal Government has inaugurated an interministerial committee to strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural quarantine system in a bid to curb the rejection of the country’s agricultural exports, enhance biosecurity and boost non-oil exports.
The committee, inaugurated in Abuja on behalf of the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Deborah Odoh, will coordinate efforts to align Nigeria’s agricultural quarantine system with international standards and improve access to regional and global markets.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the ministry’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Julie Osagie-Jacobs, the committee brings together key government agencies, regulatory bodies, research institutions, farmers’ groups and other stakeholders to strengthen policy coordination, harmonise regulatory processes and eliminate institutional bottlenecks.
Odoh said Nigeria could no longer afford the losses caused by the rejection of agricultural exports over non-compliance with global standards, expressing confidence that the committee’s recommendations would strengthen biosecurity, improve agricultural trade, increase non-oil exports and raise farmers’ incomes.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service, Vincent Isegbe, said a stronger quarantine system would reduce export rejections, improve foreign exchange earnings and enhance Nigeria’s reputation as a reliable exporter of safe agricultural products.
The committee will review proposals to strengthen the operational capacity of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service, assess infrastructure and laboratory needs, recommend sustainable funding and develop strategies to improve compliance with international sanitary and phytosanitary standards while promoting agricultural exports.