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Nigerian traders have increasingly adopted the practice of labelling their exports as originating from neighbouring countries like Ghana to avoid repeated rejections of their produce in European markets.
This strategic move, according to a report by the Daily Sun, is aimed at bypassing the negative perceptions and integrity issues surrounding Nigerian agricultural products, which have led to significant financial losses.
Despite efforts by authorities, such as the creation of an Export Processing Terminal (EPT) to streamline exports, many Nigerian exporters still prefer shipping their goods through the ports of neighbouring countries.
A majority of produce, particularly yams, labelled as Ghanaian in European markets, are actually sourced from Nigeria.
Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, said that some Nigerian exporters bypass the agency.
Adeyeye said exporters are boycotting regulatory procedures and that all the food products rejected abroad never went through the scrutiny of both NAFDAC and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS).
“Most of the exporters don’t go through NAFDAC and after taking a shortcut at the other end, they get to the other side there is no shortcut, and the product will be destroyed. We have to enlighten the public more about the role of NAFDAC in exportation because we have to test whether there are pesticide residues and moles in the food. We have to do all sorts of testing because if we don’t when it gets to the other side it will be rejected and destroyed”.
An exporter, Bassey Udom, said that there are a lot of bottlenecks associated with export produce that the government needs to urgently address if it is serious about the non-oil economy.
“We are aware of EPT created by the government strictly for export but that has not changed the wrong perception of the foreign buyers about the export produce coming from Nigeria. This is the reason we are going through neighbouring countries where they have wide acceptance of their export produce in Europe.
“This why some of these government agencies are saying exporters don’t come to them for documentation or scrutiny and the rest. It is not 100 per cent true. Sometimes, these produce face logistic issues before arriving at the port for shipping. Touts and police will stop our trucks and collect money on the highways among other issues. This usually causes delays in getting our products to their destination on time.
“Once we can scale through all these hurdles, we take our produce to where we know that it will not be rejected and make our money. The joy of every businessman is to make good money,” he said.
He added that the government has a lot of work to do by addressing these bottlenecks and the negative labelling and rejection of exports from Nigeria by European countries.
Dr. Muda Yusuf, CEO of the Center for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), emphasizes the need for Nigeria to build trust among international buyers.
“The problem isn’t with the quality of our products; it’s the packaging and documentation that create negative perceptions.”
Exporters like Bassey Udom argue that until these issues are resolved, adopting foreign labels remains a necessary survival tactic.
“We know it’s not ideal, but we need to ensure our goods aren’t rejected. At the end of the day, we’re just trying to make a living”.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH
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