The Export Group of the
Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has urged the Federal Government to put an end to the European Union’s (EU) continuous ban on Nigerian beans export to its countries.
The LCCI Export Group Chairman, Dr Obiora Madu, gave this recommendation in an interview with our correspondent in Lagos on Tuesday.
The Tide reports that the EU had on two consecutive times banned Nigerian beans and some other agricultural produce from being exported to its member countries.
EU leaders had asked Nigeria to put a management system in place to reduce pesticide-contaminated food produce that it exports to the community or face continued rejection of the produce.
According to Madu, the bulk of what needs to be done to ensure Nigerian Beans is accepted in EU countries lies with the relevant government agencies involved.
He said the government agencies could speed up actions to ensure resumption of beans export to European Union (EU) countries.
“The ban of Nigerian beans export to European Union countries is a systematic problem which is out of the hands of LCCI Export Group members.
“The correction that is needed is actually at the farms, mostly, because it is about chemicals that are used to preserve the beans.
“Whereas the chemicals can drive the insects away, the residual is, however, above the specified level,’’ the LCCI official said.
According to him, the export group members are not involved at the point where the beans are cultivated and where they are warehoused.
He said the problem was noticed when members bought the beans for export.
Madu added that the problem arose from the residual chemical in the beans at the point of exporting to EU countries.
He noted that this meant that there was a need to trace at what point the chemical came into the seeds.
Madu said that there was also the need for relevant government agencies to correct this anomaly to a certain level, so that beans exporters could resume exporting to EU countries.