NEPC Pledges Continued Collaboration With NGOs, to Ensure Increased Organic Products
Oru Leonard
The Executive Director, NIgerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr Olusegun Awolowo has said that the Council will continue to collaborate with Non Government Organisations (NGOs), to ensure our products go “organic”.
NEPC Boss who was represented by Mr William Ezeagu, the Director, Product Development Department of the Council stated this in his welcome address at the first of the National Organic Agriculture Business Summit (NOABS), between 2-4 November, 2021
He said Organic agriculture entails production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems, biodiversity and people and animals is to reduce the negative impact of inorganic fertilizer on soil and ecology with a view to reducing the impact on environment thus reduction in global warming and climate change consequences.
Adewale noted that the value of organic food demand has risen astronomically over the last 10 years, thanks to global, awareness on the essence of healthy food consumption and general food safety concern which organic agriculture addresses.
“Statistically, the global demand for organic foods rose from €75 billion in 2015 to about €95 billion in 2019. (Source: FiBL 2020). Recently, the Action Plan under the World Food Summit identifies the importance of organic input technologies, farming techniques and other sustainable methods in organic farming. With the negative effect of COVID-19 Pandemic, increasing awareness of healthy food consumption and living, global value of organic market could leap to USD €150 billion within the next 5 years”, he butressed.
He disclosed that most Nigerian agro products such as Ginger, Hibiscus, Moringa, Tigernut, Turmeric, Soyabean, Cocoa, Peanut (Groundnut), Sesame Seed and others are in high demand in overseas organic markets. With proper organic certification, in place, there is huge potential to earn substantial foreign exchange which could translate into higher income for our farmers, exporters and other value chain operators.
He said, “It is a fact that the Organic Agriculture sector in Nigeria is evolving and dynamic, but still one of the least developed in Africa. This scenario has to be changed in order to increase and expand the agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy. The Nigerian Export Promotion Council in recent time has engaged stakeholders to promote the certification of Nigeria products for organic and other certifications, with a view to increasing the value and volume of export of our products and reduce the rate of rejection of agricultural exports.
“Only recently, one of our major Sesame Seed exporters, WACOT secured organic certification for its sesame seed, which has opened up the lucrative organic market for its premium product. More producers, with the support of Nigerian Export Promotion Council, are keying into this organic certification. Happily, the Council under its “Go Global, Go Certification” programme has just secured certifications (HACCP, FDA, ISO 22000, HALAL) for over thirty MSMEs to enable access overseas markets. We are also collaborating with development Partners such as the British High Commissioner, ECOWAS Secretariat and the CBI (Netherlands) to ensure that our MSMEs undertake certification to ensure competitiveness. I believe, with more awareness. and sensitisation on the importance of organic and other certification in the export value chain, the acceptance of Nigerian products in the International Market will increase and more importantly, our export would be more competitive.
He implored all Stakeholders to double their efforts to ensure that Nigerian MSME and producers key into certification in the production and processing systems and commended the organisers of the event, EOA and other Stakeholders for the determination and zeal put in place to ensure that this event eventually take place.
The event which drew Partners, collaborators and sponsors from different stakeholders in the public and private sector was anchored by the Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA), Initiative in Nigeria based in Ibadan, Oyo State if NIgeria.
This is the sixth edition of the submit which started in 2016. The theme for this year which ends on November 4, 2021, is, National Organic Agriculture Business Summit is titled, ” ORGANIC QUALITY: Guarantee For National Development”.
The next NOABS in 2022 will be held at Ibadan, Oyo State.
