The Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG) is collaborating with other stakeholders to develop policy that would align the nation with worldwide benchmarks in the export of produce in an effort to reduce the rejection of Nigerian agricultural products at the international market.
The NABG Director-General, Dr. Manzo Maigari, stated yesterday in Abuja at a stakeholders consultation workshop on “Developing a National Agricultural Commodity Standard Grading System and a National Policy to Support Commodity Grading System” that Nigeria must adhere to and be in line with international benchmarks for standards and grading in order to be competitive in agriculture globally.
He stated that the lack of expected and acceptable standards is to blame for the rejection of Nigerian agricultural products on the global market. He added that NABG is addressing the problem by developing and implementing standards and policies so that Nigeria can become a significant player in the global agribusiness.
Maigari remarked: “In modern business and trade today, people want to be sure about certain quality, sanitation, the hygiene of what you are selling, and if they cannot be sure, then you cannot have access to the markets and this is something that does not exist currently in Nigeria.”
“Therefore, as custodians of agribusiness in Nigeria, we have taken the initiative to bring stakeholders together both in the public and private sectors so that we can craft a policy that would enable Nigeria compete favourably in Africa and across the world. You already are aware that our efforts to export have always been frustrated, you hear rejects here and there. When our products are exported, you hear that they have been rejected,” he stated.
He bemoaned the absence of a policy framework that maintains standards, quality, and certification in the nation, which is concerning given how severely it has affected the export of agricultural products over time.
Agribusiness, according to the DG, starts with high quality standards because “if we can lay the groundwork correctly, we can compete in the international markets.” Due to the lack of international certifications, notwithstanding our success thus far, we are not competitive.
In her discussion on the effects of climate change on agribusiness and climate resilience, Maigari emphasized the need to educate smallholder farmers about traditional techniques that are climate savvy in order to ensure that they achieve the required standards.
He stated that by adopting climate-smart techniques, NABG is guaranteeing Nigerian farmers satisfy standards.
