The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has partnered with the Cocoa Processors Association of Nigeria (COPAN) and other stakeholders in the food export trade to prevent the rejection of processed and semi-processed cocoa products and other food exports.

This was disclosed at the NAFDAC export stakeholders interactive session with COPAN, Network of Practicing Non-oil Exporters of Nigeria (NPNEN), Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), and The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA) on the draft NAFDAC export regulations 2024 in Lagos.

At the interactive session, NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, addressed concerns raised by cocoa stakeholders regarding the draft cocoa regulations.

She emphasised that regulations are crucial for ensuring compliance with international standards and preventing product rejection.

Adeyeye highlighted NAFDAC’s efforts to update and gazette new regulations, including export regulations, to enhance regulatory activities. She noted that the agency’s role is to facilitate trade and ensure product quality and safety, not to generate revenue.

Stakeholders expressed support for NAFDAC’s collaborative approach, pledging to work together to improve non-oil export trade and increase foreign exchange revenue. The partnership aims to bridge knowledge gaps, allay fears, and foster necessary collaboration to move regulated product exports to the desired rating in international trade.

She said, “We are committed to ensuring that rejection of processed and semi-processed cocoa products and other food exports becomes a thing of the past.

“Regulations are legal instruments for control and elucidation of standards for the compliance of all stakeholders in the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale, and use of regulated products.

“We have updated and gazetted 21 new regulations covering many areas of the Agency’s regulatory activities, and export regulations is just one of the several regulations that are in the process of being gazetted into law.

“Our regulated products, which are packaged and for most of the time exported without NAFDAC certification, fail at the entry borders, and reports have accumulated to put Nigeria at a disadvantage in international commerce.

“We will look at those on our records and categorize them into low, medium and high risk, which requires random visitations for those that have been complying with the regulatory requirements.

“The most important thing is to have confidence in your product. For us, what’s most important is that your product is not rejected in the importing country.”

Also, the Director General of NACCIMA, Dr Olusola Obajimu expressed joy that the proposed regulation is not necessarily a revenue generation drive, but achieving global standard to ensure that Nigeria realizes its export potential.

He also pledged the support of the stakeholders to ensure that the nation improves it foreign exchange revenue drive through non-oil export trade in collaboration with NAFDAC.

Representative of COPAN and Managing Director of Multi-Trex Integrated Foods Plc, Mr. Yusuf Isiaka, said “We are very happy to see signs around today’s gathering that NAFDAC of today is a collaborative one.”

In recognition of the fact that NAFDAC has a role to play, Isiaka said “We just don’t want to lose business, we don’t want to lose relationships.”

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