NAFDAC bans foreign unscreened beans

The acting Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Yetunde Oni has announced the ban of foreign beans into the country. But the ban will not affect beans that has been screened by the agency.

Since the Boko Haram onslaught intensified in Nigeria’s north east which is known for massive beans farming, there has been an influx of beans from neighboring countries. For the Nigerian market, this has augmented the quantity produced by those farmers yet to be displaced from their extensive farms in the north.

NAFDAC’s announcement implies that it will not be business as usual for importers of beans as only the beans screened by the agency will now be allowed into the country in order to be sure of its safety.

According to Oni, “there are beans produce that have been banned in the European Union, EU as they never passed through NAFDAC. All the beans that passed through NAFDAC and issued EU certification do not get rejected.”

The acting NAFDAC DG has however pointed out that regulating beans influx is not entirely the function of NAFDAC, and has urged other relevant agencies to cooperate towards achieving the objective. “It is not entirely the function of NAFDAC, but the primary assignment of the quarantine department under the Ministry of Agriculture to look into beans because it is an agricultural produce.

“But because we have seen that beans is a raw material into a final product that is regulated by NAFDAC, we are now talking of collaboration with one another so that all relevant stakeholders will join hands towards a common goal of ensuring that only good quality, regulated products are available for consumption,” the acting NAFDAC DG said.