The republic of Ireland have rejected and returned five containers of beans exported from Nigeria after the products were received with heaps of weevils. Nigeria is currently under a ban from the European Union for exportation of goods, but it is not clear whether the beans was exported.
Minister of state for Agriculture, Mr Heineken Lokpobiri, Inspecting the rejected agricultural product at the PTML Terminal, Tin Can Port Lagos yesterday however said that the containers were returned because heaps of weevils were detected in them by Republic of Ireland Quarantine Service. He however stated that Nigerian producers will resume exportation of beans to the EU by June this year.
Lokpobiri, described the return of the containers as a national embarrassment, saying that the containers were exported without the knowledge of the Nigerian Agriculture and Quarantine Service. He also said that government would be returning the Quarantine Service back to the ports to partake in the examination of import and export containers.
He said, “Currently there is no more dollars oil and so, we need dollars from agriculture. We are in trade deficit with every other country in the world including Cameroun, and Benin Republic.
“So, we are trying to encourage as much export as possible so that we can substitute petrol-dollars to agro-dollars.
“No government agency has right apart from Quarantine to say that agro-products is banned for export or import, it is the legal and exclusive responsibility of Quarantine Service.”
The EU suspension of Nigeria is only on beans, and the minister said that investigations will be made and steps will be taken to prevent the bans from extending to other products.
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