Over 50 fish exporters, farmers, and processors have received training from the Federal Department of Fisheries and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council NEPC on the necessary skills to succeed in the export market.
The Chief Executive Officer of NEPC, Dr. Ezra Yakusak, said during a technical session for fish practitioners on compliance to importing countries’ requirements in Lagos that the technical session would give participants the opportunity to comprehend and adopt regulations of importing countries in order to avoid the high level of rejection of Nigerian exports.
“He asserted that the training, in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and the Federal Department of Fisheries, would provide fish farmers, processors, and exporters with the proper way of exporting their products without burning their fingers. The Director of the Product Development Department, Mrs. Obidike Evelyn, represented him.
“If you are exporting fish and fishery products, they have to comply with regulations of the importing countries. We are here to reach and train all the practitioners in the fish sector and we are starting with Lagos State. We want to inform them about what the international market requires so that they can comply and ensure acceptance of their fish.
That’s why we have involved the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and the Federal Department of Fisheries to explain the requirements to them,” he added.
“We have over 50 fish processors here and plan to take them bit by bit; so we are starting with a sizable number that can listen and understand and get it right.”
“NEPC is here to provide the relevant, requisite and current information for them to take advantage of the fish export business,” he went on to say.
Speaking as well, Dr. Farouq Abdullahi, Director of the Federal Department of Fisheries, said that the program would lay out a roadmap for exporters of fish and fishery products to follow in order to comply with international best practices. He was represented by Mrs. Oladosu Olanike, Deputy Director and Head of Quality Assurance, Lagos Liaison Office.
“We want a situation where Nigeria’s fish export will enter the international market without rejection, particularly the aquaculture products also known as cultured fish. We want to sensitise the farmers, processors and exporters to export products that will not be rejected.”
“Information is key and this is why we are trying to train the practitioners to identify the documents and standards they have to comply with, because international business is all about compliance with the importing country’s regulations”, he said.
“They must, first of all, identify the country they want to export to and get familiar with their regulations and set themselves to comply with their regulations. We are making them know the issues they have to attend to and how they have to attend to it. We give them support from our own end by monitoring, controlling and supervising their export activities,” he concluded.
He added that the export of fish has a lot of promise and cited Nigeria’s success in the sale of tilapia and catfish as evidence.
