We told them not to export yams- Quarantine official

 * NAQS official ignorant of presence of gamma irradiation facilities in Nigeria

The Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine services (NAQS) has said that the authority at the Tin- Can seaport did not listen to its expert advice not to export yam to United Kingdom (UK) without giving a proper treatment against nematode, with certification of clearance before departure. An official of the agency, Mr. Abdullahi Ibrahim revealed this during a colloquium session held at the National Organic Agriculture Business Summit held recently in Lagos.

Ibrahim, who was answering a question as to why Nigerian yams were rejected in the UK, said “we told them not to export until a disease called nematode is well treated with irradiation machine.”

He disclosed that his organization did not have the machine even up till the time he was responding to the question adding that Ghana was the only country in West Africa that had got the machine, whereas Food Farm News reliably gathered that gamma irradiation facilities were in three different locations of Sheda Science & Technology Complex, near Abuja; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife. This inter agency relationship gap in the country is costing the country a lot.

He continued: ‘’ I remember vividly when this window of export of yams from Nigeria to United Kingdom came up. NAQS was called upon at Tin can port, Apapa, and we told them that based on our experience, the major pest of yam is called nematode which has to do with heat. Anywhere you are taking yam in any part of the world, it is nematode certificate they will ask for and the best way to treat nematode is using irradiation machine. 

The only West African country that has it is Ghana. But in usual Nigeria way, they ignored our advice and took to a university don at University of Agriculture at Makurdi. But we categorically told them that we are not responsible and the yams were rejected in UK. Up till now, we cannot do anything because we don’t have irradiation machine to treat nematode.’’

 It will be recalled that about two years ago that Nigeria exported yams to United Kingdom and which was rejected due to decay of some of them due to nematode, which is a heat controlled disease, and there was a press statement by the NAQS that the yams were not certified before export.