Sign NAQS bill to safe farmers-stakeholders

The recent spate of rejection of the Nigerian agricultural products at the international markets brings to the fore, agitations for President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) bill. The executive bill for an Act establishing the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), which has been passed by the National Assembly since […]

The recent spate of rejection of the Nigerian agricultural products at the international markets brings to the fore, agitations for President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) bill.
The executive bill for an Act establishing the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), which has been passed by the National Assembly since October 2010 is awaiting presidential assent.
The Nigerian quarantine service is established in 2007 to prevent the risk of the introduction of exotic pests and diseases of plants, animals and aquatic resources into the country.
The service functions as the first line of a defense for the agricultural economy.
The quarantine service enforces the compliance with the WTO/ Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standard (SPS) Agreements, thereby facilitating the access for Nigerian Agricultural Products into international trade.
Stakeholders said signing the bill into law will allow the agency to development and enforce appropriate mechanism to ensure that the exports of the nation’s agricultural produce conform to the international food safety standard.
Dr Vincent Isiegbe, the coordinating director of the agency said that the agency lacks the powers to prosecute exports and importers of agro products without due certification.
He appealed to the federal government to look critically into the issue to save Nigeria from international embarrassments.