STDF172.....Expanding Exports of Sesame and Sheanut

.... Expanding Exports of Sesame and Shea Butter/Nut in Nigeria

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (FMCI)

The Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry is the lead agency representing Nigeria at the WTO. It is the supervising ministry of the implementation agency and also one of the collaborating agencies.

NIGERIAN EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL (NEPC)

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council is the Federal Government Agency in charge of the development and promotion of non-oil exports. The Council was established in 1976 by Parliament Act 26 and further amended by Acts 64 and 65 of 1992. The NEPC’s major objective is to promote the development and diversification of Nigeria’s Non Oil export trade and provide technical assistance to local exporters in areas such as export procedures, quality controls, export packaging and certifications for export. The Council is responsible for creating appropriate export incentives and supports to make Nigerian products competitive in overseas markets. The Council will assist in monitoring the project’s impact on export values and volumes of sesame seeds and shea nut/butter products from Nigeria, as well as drawing attention to any constraints being faced by exporters of these two commodities. NEPC will also participate in the socio-economic study on shea and sesame seeds.

National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC)

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control is the agency that originally requested WTO-STDF Grant Funds. The agency’s mandate is to regulate and control the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale and use of foods and drugs. It is also the national regulatory authority for registration of food and drugs and certification of packaged, processed or semi-processed food commodities for export. NAFDAC activities include establishment inspection, sampling and laboratory analysis. NAFDAC also conducts import inspection of regulated products and ensures Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) as well as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) standards meeting Codex and ISO standards. The agency also monitors and controls the advertisement of regulated products. Its laboratory for Food Quality and Safety Analysis is the main laboratory that trains and performs aflatoxin analysis of products destined for export. This laboratory will provide support for Nigerian sesame seed and shea nut/butter sampling and aflatoxin analysis.

Federal Produce Inspection Service (FPIS)

The Federal Produce Inspection Service is the organisation that certifies products on a standard 3% sample for quality, weight, fumigation and packaging (QWFP). The FPIS is located at the key ports of exit in Nigeria. Its certification system provides some ability to trace produce to storage warehouses and production sources. FPIS also assigns country of origin certification and links exporters to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council through the QWFP certification system. The FPIS will collaborate with NAFDAC in improving traceability for shea and sesame seeds as well as implementing the early warning system at field level required to control aflatoxin, pests and other contaminants in sesame seed and shea nut/butter production

National Cereal Research Institute (NCRI)

The National Cereals Research Institute is the national research institution for the genetic improvement of sesame (beniseed) as well as that of soybean, castor, rice, acha and sugarcane. The institute’s mandate also includes agricultural resource management, research and extension in the central zone of Nigeria covering eight States - Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Taraba States and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The NCRI, through its oilseeds division, has carried out baseline surveys on sesame seed production, processing and utilization in Nassarawa, Kebbi and Yobe states. Under the project, NCRI will undertake a study on the socio-economic characterization of sesame seed production and supply chain, as well as assist in developing HACCP, GAP and GMPs for sesame seed.

Nigeria Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI)

The Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute conducts research on bulk storage problems with export commodities and local food crops. In particular, NSPRI’s research covers issues such as stored product pests, pesticide formulation, residue and mycotoxin surveys, development of storage techniques and specifications for top quality shea nuts and sesame seeds and cleaning and sorting procedures. NSPRI will develop manuals and provide training on recommended Good Storage Practices (GSP). NSPRI will also assist IITA in undertaking studies on aflatoxin levels in stored sesame seeds and shea nuts/butter. In addition, NSPRI will advise on actions required to incorporate new technologies into the production chain as well as other required advancements, such as remedies to inappropriate product handling (prototypes of warehouses, washing and drying equipment) and improved storage conditions during transport from production areas to ports.

Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON)

In Nigeria, the fulcrum of Standardisation and Regulation of quality for all products is vested in the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON). Established by Act No. 56 of 1971 and with three amendments in 1976, 1984 and 1990, the body corporate, has the sole responsibility for National Policy on Standards, Standards Specification, Quality Control and Metrology.

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria is an active member of the African Regional Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), Codex Alimentarius Commission, which is the Food Standardisation Organ of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and is also a member of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).

SON participates fully in the programmes and activities of international bodies and appropriate UN agencies.

INTERNATIONAL Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
The International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) conducts research, training, germplasm development and information exchange activities in partnership with regional and national programs throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The research agenda addresses crop improvement, plant health and crop management and resources. IITA has worked over the past fifteen years on toxigenic fungi and resultant mycotoxin contamination in staple food and export crops in Africa. Research has focused on the impact of aflatoxin on child health and related socio-economic factors, the development and deployment of management practices for the control of aflatoxin, ecological factors influencing A. flavus infection, the control of A. flavus in the field with atoxigenic A. flavus strains and related economic studies looking at cost/benefit of aflatoxin-reducing technologies, awareness campaigns, information exchange through conferences and workshops, impact and uptake. IITA has recently succeeded in the development of antibodies for quantitative determination of aflatoxin. The methodology permits screening for aflatoxins at very low levels (4 µg/kg). Benefits include reducing the cost of aflatoxins screening to as low as $1, with excellent reproducibility and sensitivity. IITA’s contribution to the project will be in the form of training in ELISA and some research activities, particularly on Aspergillus identification, as well as assisting NAFDAC in the procurement of necessary materials and supplies for the ELISA technique. IITA Nigeria is also linked with its office in the Republic of Benin, which is involved in the WTO-STDF Grant Project on Shea nuts.