By Favour Nnabugwu & Alice Festus

The Federal Government has expressed its determination to tackle challenges of exporting traditional food produce to the European Union and United Kingdom.

Mr. Olusegun Aganga, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment at a workshop and exhibition organised by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) on export of Nigerian food produce to the UK in Abuja recently expressed concern over the loss incurred by Nigerian exporters due to non-compliance.

Aganga, who was represented by the Alhaji Dauda Kigbu, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, urged the exporters to adhere strictly to the new conditions for the export of food produce recently issued by the European Commission.

He expressed the hope that the knowledge garnered from the workshop would help build the capacity of exporters for the two revered and rewarding markets.

The volume of Nigerian export of foodstuff to these countries is still on a very small scale considering the estimated 20 million people of Nigerian descent residing outside the country, with the majority living in the United Kingdom (UK) and the EU.

The few exporters of African foodstuff cannot meet with the demand of Nigerians which populations are increasing everyday in the US and UK.

The exportable foodstuff to the foreign countries are smoked fish, garri, beans flour, melon seed (egusi ground), ogbono, cassava flour, bitterleaf, dried ugu leaf, palmwine, butter production, coconut processing, pepper, tomato paste, hibiscus flower, yoghurt, pap (ogi), ukazi.

The requirements include start up capital of between N150,000 and N200,000, an e-mail, a mobile phone and an account with a reputable bank here in Nigeria, which most of the SMEs are finding difficult to meet. Michael Glavin, Head of Imports and Official Controls Unit, Food Standards Agency (FSA), UK attributed the rejection and destruction of Nigerian food produce at the border to non compliance with the importation rules of food produce to Europe.

He said the issue with most of the food produce from Nigeria has to do with compliance because there are standard to be met before products are imported to the European countries.

Glavin, who led a delegation from UK to Nigeria to give advice to Nigerian exporters said when the standards are not met, the products are either rejected or destroyed.