The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has explained why food products exported from Nigeria are rejected.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the agency’s Director General (DG), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye stated that most food products are rejected after being exported because they were processed without statutory testing by NAFDAC.

She also stated that exporters will no longer export any NAFDAC Regulated product without it being certified of its safety and quality status including full compliance with the destination country government requirements.

Adeyeye said the decision will avert colossal economic loss resulting from the rejection of non-compliant exports by the trading partners and the embarrassment brought on the image of the country.

She said; “The challenge bedeviling the export process of NAFDAC regulated products especially, assuring safety and quality status of food exports in Nigeria has been traced to:/ non-compliance with advisory guidelines established by NAFDAC to encourage participatory exports.

“Almost all exported food products are processed without the statutory testing by NAFDAC. Therefore, it is not surprising that all the items exported without NAFDAC quality control and safety tests are rejected.

“Non-utilization of hitherto free laboratory testing by NAFDAC for export samples coupled with the connivance of unscrupulous agents.

“Exclusion of NAFDAC’s requirements for its regulated products in the mandatory pre-shipment inspection in the National Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) as administered by the FGN appointed Pre-shipment Inspection Agents (PIAs).

“Unwillingness of exporters to comply with minimal sanitary and phytosanitary measures required for exports to countries with stringent market access.

“Poor packaging, disregard for importation requirements of trading partners countries f. Penchant for sourcing from open markets for exports without any form of minimal safety or quality specifications

“Unwillingness to invest in pre-export activities that help to ensure sustainable exports as well as disinformation on the roles of NAFDAC in the pre-shipment inspection and verification exercise of container stuffing”.