By Naomi Uzor
The Federal Produce Inspection Service, arm of the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has demanded for 15 per cent of export levy collected by the Service in respect of shipped export commodities to boost her operations.

The Service also said it has remitted $1,502,807.07 revenue generated from export levy last year, into  the federal government’s purse.

This demand was made  by the Assistant Director,  Mr. Adetola John, when the Head of Procurement Unit, of the Ministry, Mrs. Adaobi Obioha and her team visited the Federal Produce Inspection Service, Ijora-Olopa, Lagos, to monitor the implementation of 2010 Capital Projects of Parastatals/Agencies under the Ministry in the South West Zone.

He urged the Minister to facilitate improvement in the funds made available to the unit to enable them meet up with their recurrent expenditure and demanded for 15 percent  of export levy collected in respect of shipped export commodities as her operational cost.

Giving details of the operation of the Unit Mr. John pointed out that Cocoa beans export for 2009 and 2010 represented 71.39 per cent and 65.66 per cent of the total export while export levy generated were $1,257,784.80 and $1,512,807.07 for 2009 and 2010 respectively.

He added that in 2009 a total of 282,455.183 metric tonnes of export commodities worth $378,082,056.30 was inspected and passed for shipment by the FPIS while in 2010, a total of 302,495.44 metric tonnes of export commodities was passed and exported overseas.

Mr. Adetola noted that the reduction in the export figures of cocoa beans in the year 2010 to 65.66 per cent against 71.39 per cent for 2009 was due to the springing up of cocoa crushing mills which have added value to the beans in the production of cocoa butter, cocoa cake, cocoa liquor and cocoa powder respectively.

The head of FPIS, Lagos thanked the Ministry for providing uniform materials for the technical officers which have enhanced the performance of their duties in the warehouses, crushing mills and port areas for monitoring activities.

He requested for the intervention of the Ministry for recruitment of more produce superintendents to reduce over stretching of the existing manpower base on the fact that there have been reduction in the manpower of FPIS over the years.

This he said, will enable the organization to cover all her operational zones located in the states, border post, air4port, seaports, crushing mills and inland dry ports. He said that the unit require five hundred (500) technical staff strength instead of less than one hundred (100 presently in the service.

In her responds, Mrs Adaobi Obioha urged the unit to be proactive and continue to maintain clean environment in order to prevent health hazard.

She commended the level of work so far implemented on the laboratory building and urged the engineers to ensure that the job was completed record time and according to specification.