Over the years, much of Nigeria’s cargo exported abroad is often rejected due to poor condition and conditions, and most of it reaches its destination. However, emerging trends show that Nigerian exporters are gradually finding ways to circumvent this refusal, writes TOLA ADENUBI.
The rejection of overseas export shipments from Nigeria has cost many exporters billions of dollars, with many going bankrupt or no longer in the export business.
For many of these rejected shipments, our findings reveal that the cause is not entirely the exporter’s fault, but the persistent delays of export shipments at domestic ports. I did.
In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, an exporter, Mrs. Folake Abimbola, blamed much of the rejection on delays in perishable export cargoes and time wasted at ports.
According to Mrs. Abimbola, “We have heard that many export consignments leaving Nigeria have been rejected at the destination country, but should we blame the exporters? No, when the consignments arrive at the port, they are Because it arrived in good condition.
“Many of the cargoes that we hear about being rejected overseas never made it to Lagos ports because they were already rotten or smelly. When these cargoes arrive at Lagos ports, they are usually very Arrives in good condition. But what happens when your export cargo waits at the port for three to six months because various regulatory authorities have raised “red flags”?
“Export procedures at ports are not streamlined in a simple manner. The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has its own procedures and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) also has export processing terminals that guide the export process. (EPT). The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) also have their own procedures.
“So when these cargoes (mainly agricultural products) arrive at the port, the terminal managers who are supposed to have pre-arranged the shipment of these cargoes have no choice but to file a claim simply because the cargo did not pass through their agency. It’s confusing when different government agencies raise different red flags in export procedures.
“In some cases, cargoes spend up to six months in ports due to a lack of agreement among government agencies with overlapping functions in managing export operations. In most cases, these cargoes are perishables, but they are not rejected overseas. How can you expect that?
“There is no way such shipments will not be rejected. Too much time is spent waiting in ports to obtain the necessary permits from various government agencies, and by the time the crops are shipped for export, Because it is already deteriorating. Do you blame the exporter in this situation?
“The process needs to be streamlined. There are so many government agencies involved in the export business, but they don’t seem to be working together. Imagine NAFDAC raising a red flag for an export shipment. In some cases, if not NAFDAC, then SON is raising the red flag. These agencies are set up by the National Police Agency for export processing. Is it not based in the terminal?”
New export pattern
Frustrated and fearful of their produce being rejected in Europe and other countries, Nigerian exporters are now using the ‘country of origin’ flag in neighboring West African countries such as Ghana, Benin Republic and Togo when shipping their goods overseas. ” and “labels” have begun to be adopted.
The decision to move elsewhere is aimed at avoiding further losses they have suffered over the years due to misperceptions about Nigerian agricultural products.
Bassey Udom, another exporter, said in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune that “a large part of the agricultural produce, especially the yams that go to Europe via Ghana, comes from Nigeria. As it passes through, it is rejected abroad as it is labeled or perceived negatively for export to Nigeria by potential buyers.
“This perception has been built over the years because of the delays in export cargoes passing through our ports. So it’s always, ‘Will anything good come out of Nigeria?’
“Therefore, to avoid further losses, export shipments such as agricultural products and food products are now labeled as originating from Ghana and other West African countries. Many of our colleagues are shipping these items by road. We transport products to these countries and export them overseas from there.
“This has reduced losses because when the goods arrive at the destination country, they are received as export shipments from Ghana or the Republic of Benin, rather than as export shipments from Nigeria. Therefore, there is less scrutiny and rejection of the shipments. It will be.”
Dr. Muda Yusuf, Chief Executive Officer of the Center for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) also spoke on development, saying the first thing Nigeria must do is to gain the trust and confidence of buyers of Nigerian agricultural products, especially abroad. He said that this is true. Their regulatory authority.
“You are aware that this issue where Nigerian exporters go to Ghana, Togo and other ports to obtain labels of origin has arisen from issues with the quality of some food products. There was a time when agricultural products were affected.
“They have their own standards too, so the onus is on us to make sure the quality and packaging is right.If we can send those things from Ghana to those countries, why can’t we send them from Nigeria as well? ?The question is what you do to meet the standards of those people.?
“These are perishable products, so we need to further simplify the process here to make it easier for people to export.
“If you pack yams and they stay in one loading bay by the time they get to the port, it’s already been four weeks and the situation can get worse. There is a lot of work to be done in terms of issues such as standards, packaging, processes and logistics when shipping to ships. These are things I think we need to address,” Yusuf explained.
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