Editorial -Ensuring agricultural productivity standard

1.       Sen. AbdullahiAdamu and Publisher Food Farm News, Mr. Ayeni Oladehinde at Eurobase investors’ interface with farmers at Conference centre.

The issue of substandard products has cut across all facets of our economy including agricultural produce, and this has impacted negatively on their acceptability globally, with exporters facing sanctions and rejection at the international markets.

The production, processing and packaging of agricultural produce have always not been taken very serious both by the government and private sectors, and many, especially exporters have been paying dearly for their produce not meeting the standard requirements, in the recent times.

There is assertion about political motivation against Nigerian produce for obvious reasons, but the critical questions here is: how are the post-harvest handling and packaging of our agricultural produce through the value chains, for the markets, being managed with best agronomics practice to ensure standard? 

The truth is we cannot keep doing things in a substandard ways and still expect the world to wait for us in the face other competitive produce or products: therefore there is need to get things right through best agronomics which extension officers are doing effectively well to assist farmers in practice and transfer of available improved technologies on the shelves to needed places. 

Our semi processed agricultural produce for export needs proper handling and packaging management in order to meet international standard. The question is do we have facility for effective post-harvest management? If the answer is yes, are they properly harnessed by the private stakeholders who are engaged in export? What are the support and guideline they are getting from the constituted institutions that are meant to ensure standard? Are they compromising, or doing justice that will help to develop our standards attainment process in the country? What differentiates the role of Standard Organization Nigeria (SON) from that of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS)? What is the role of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in semi processed agricultural produce and even animal drugs and vaccines in ensuring standard? What are the roles of Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) and Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN)? What is the level of synergy between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and its counterpart, Industry, Trade and Investment Ministry towards ensuring standard of agricultural produce, as both has a harmonious role to play for the national development of our export?

 All these are questions begging for answer s that will put the role of all stakeholders in the strive for standard of agricultural produce in right perceptive in the face of global market competitiveness. The government needs to reposition the Trade and Investment Policy in a holistic manner that will ensure standard from production to packaging without compromise, for our economic diversification efforts to be fruitful and result in wealth and job creation.

It is sad seeing some of our agricultural produce being sun-dried along the road side in the face of many other more hygienic alternatives like use of raised platforms that will cut off rodent and pest infestations; coupled with availability of government irradiation facilities which are all laying fallow at Sheda near Abuja, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Obafemi Awolowo Univesity, Ile Ife, and University of Nigeria, Nsukka. But this raises another question: how effective are these facilities in  the face of non release of even appropriated funds?. 

What is the involvement of Federation of Agric Commodities Associations of Nigeria (FACAN) in the use of these facilities as a means of meeting export standard of its members and local consumption? Also how are the facilities being publicized among farmers for them to take advantages of its use? All these are food for thought in the race to ensure standard of produce in Nigeria. 

However the government’s renewed bid towards supporting the downstream sector of agriculture through the provision of small scale processing machines and equipment to farmers at all levels for value addition to enhance quality is a right decision which must not be a lip service kind of a thing.