Smallholder farmers export fresh vegetables with NAQS guidelines

Following the guidelines of the National Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS), some smallholder farmers are exporting fresh vegetables to Europe and the United States on a regular basis.

Some of these smallholder farmers farming in Lagos along roads – such as those opposite the Lagos State University gate between Iyana Oba and Igando – are recording turnover of about $280,000 (N44.8m) monthly.

Mike Nwaneri, co-ordinating director, NAQS, recently in Lagos, explained the reasons farmers must comply with the directives in order to access the export market, saying “the National Agricultural Quarantine Services has the primary mandate of preventing pests and diseases of plant, animals and aquatic resources from being introduced into the agricultural economy of Nigeria.

“As the minister of agriculture and rural development, Akinwunmi Adesina is making efforts to grow Nigeria’s agricultural economy and create wealth through agribusinesses, we realise that a single pest or disease is sufficient to destroy 10 years of labour in any aspect of agriculture. So, prevention of pests and diseases is key to achieving food security and wealth for farmers.”

According to him, NAQS also focuses on facilitating export just as import, saying “when we ask people to submit the agricultural items they want to export for inspection, screening and certification, they look at it as a means of delaying their business transactions or introducing bottlenecks.

“But the fact is that no country in the world wants pests and diseases to be brought from another country into their country and they would do everything possible to ensure that unless an agricultural item meets their specifications, it is not allowed into their country.”

Apart from the poor image the rejection of food in the international market gives to the exporting country, the exporter also loses a lot of money when the items get destroyed.

Following specifications given and the issuance of a certificate certifying the produce okay for export by NAQS, the vegetables grown by these smallholder farmers are finding their way into the United States, England and other European countries.

Folorunsho Dayo, scientist at NAQS, said: “We monitor the spraying of the vegetables and other activities carried out during the farming period and ensure it complies with international standards. We also witness the harvest of the vegetables, which include greens, ugwu, water leaf, bitter leaf, but we disallow export of scent leaf because of the pest associated with it. Any vegetable that has pests or chemical residues would be rejected because it would be screened when it gets to the country of destination.”

Farmers that are conforming to the standards have been accredited, he said, as their produce have not been intercepted in the country of destination since they were accredited.

Nnamdi Onukwukba, head, public affairs and trade facilitation, said “this department of the ministry of agriculture is urging as many vegetable farmers as desire to access the export market to come to NAQS and learn the requirements. The market for fresh vegetables abroad is very huge and not fully tapped but there are standards that must be met or else it would be rejected.”

On reasons farmers choose to standardise production of vegetables only when they want to export, he said “in Nigeria, we cook the vegetables very well, so the chemicals and organisms are destroyed but when it gets to another country, it is not cooked before it is tested at the point of entry and would then be destroyed. Moreover, farmers earn more profit when they export.”

Abdullahi Abubakar, a vegetable farmer who has been into export for about 10 years, said: “NAQS approached me about 10 years ago and taught me the processes of producing vegetables for export.

Now I have customers in Belgium, South Africa, England, Ireland, Italy, and so on. Every farmer has to seek for their own customers abroad or get buyers who then export. I sell more than 100 cartons of vegetables weekly. I take them to the airport and hand over to the agent. I am paid N500 (about $3) per carton which contains 4kg to 5kg of vegetables. We also want leading supermarkets in Nigeria to come and buy from us, because what we sell is of international standard.”

By: OLUYINKA ALAWODE