Council counsel exporters on standards

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has called on current and potential exporters to embrace best standards and requirements of international market.
It made the call during a workshop organised by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Trade Resource Centre (ATRC) of NEPC in Ibadan.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Trade Resource Centre is a unit domiciled at NEPC.
The workshop was aimed at sensitising current and potential exporters on the requirements and standards of entering the global market.
Mr Joseph Ogungbade, Oyo State Advisor of NEPC, urged current and potential exporters to adhere strictly to the international market standards.
Ogungbade pointed out that the standards were high, but the opportunities in export business were huge.
Mrs Omobolanle Emmanuel, the head, AGOA Trade Resource Centre of NEPC, urged exporters to seek eligible products and produce massively.
She charged them to strive to meet up with the requirements of export business in order to avoid rejection.
“Exporters should seek for the products that are eligible and embrace genuine documents that the U.S. markets require. They need to meet these requirements so that their products would not suffer rejection,” she said.
Aderibigbe, who was the guest speaker, urged intending exporters not to cut corners but adhere to the best international standards.
“Do the right things no matter the cost, so that people will not find faults in your products. Don’t cut corners. It is important that your facility is registered. The NEPC certificate is key.
“You also need to register with Plant Quarantine Services of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for quality control.
“Our products are good. Let’s believe in them and patronise them. All we need to do is to go extra mile,” he said.
Mrs Olanrewaju Nwankwo, an exporter, urged government to give grants as well as loan facilities to exporters at a rate different from the conventional one.
“Government should push more and research into the products to be exported. They should give grants and loan facilities at the rate different from the conventional one,” she said.
AGOA waives duties on more than 6,400 products exported from eligible African countries to the U.S., giving businesses competitive advantage.
The USAID and NEPC ATRC provide expert knowledge and guidance so that Nigerian firms can understand the full range of opportunities and take the advantage of AGOA’s duty-free benefits.