NIGERIA – The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) will in the next month begin a pilot project to enable the resumption of export of Nigerian dried beans to the European Union (EU).
According to an article by the Daily Trust, the European Union had instilled the ban for export to the member countries from Nigeria only for dried beans.
EU said the measures concerned only beans because they were frequently rejected for health reasons, mainly due to high level of pesticides at the EU border.
UNIDO will write to EU informing them of the improved quality of dried Nigerian beans and that it was safe for consumption.
To sustain this move, UNIDO has reiterated the need urgent need for the government to approve the awaiting Nigerian National Quality Policy (NNQP).
In a move to tackle the ban, the federal government inaugurated a 26-member Standing Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee to address the rejection of Nigeria’s dry beans by the European Union.
In a statement to the Guardian, UNIDO National Quality Infrastructure project, Shaukak Malik revealed that the trade restriction was placed on Nigerian dried beans due to the high level of chemicals, pesticides and fertilizer.
He added that UNIDO had trained Nigerian farmers on good agricultural practices adding that the level of chemicals, pesticides and fertilizer has been brought down drastically.
A working group under zero reject of Nigerian goods has developed an Integrated Export Control Plan.
In addition to this, UNIDO was developing 10 training centres in Nigeria, and it was looking forward to developing a curriculum on quality management through collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC).
He added that product rejection or ban at EU countries and other parts of the world can be reduced with recognized Nigerian National Quality Policy (NNQP), accreditation and certification bodies as metrology Institute.
