U.S Rejects Nigerian Yams Over Poor Quality As FG Opens Investigation

The numerous problems facing the Nigerian agricultural industry has once again come to the fore as large quantities of yam export to the United States of America were sent back over poor quality.

Despite being the world largest producer of yams with about 62 percent of the global yam requirements, Nigeria does not rank amongst the highest exporter of the product globally.

As part of plans to boost non-oil exports, the Federal Government in June exported yams to China, United Kingdom and US.

The country had hoped that the new policy will take Nigeria to the fore-front of the global agricultural export market.

Agencies such as The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Customs Service, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) were tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that yams exported were properly checked and certified.

Briefing State House Correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, Wednesday, Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh vowed to investigate the development.

According to him, both the exporting companies and officials of the Ministry’s Department of Quarantine will be quizzed for allowing “such substandard good to leave the shores of the country”.

“Some consignment of yams were exported from Nigeria to the United States and according to reports we have today, they were found to be of poor quality,” he said.

“We will be investigating both the company that exported it and our quarantine department to check and find out why such a consignment left here.”