The Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST), has identified non-compliance with global food standards, poor packaging and poor adherence to food safety as part of the major reasons food exports from Nigeria are rejected at the International market.
NIFST which stated this at a press conference at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike on Tuesday, also identified poor funding funding as a major challenge to Nigeria’s food export quest.
National President of NIFST, Professor Joseph Oneh Abu, who addressed a press conference ahead of the 47th Annual Conference of the NIFST, holding in Abia State, regretted that despite efforts to break the jinx, Nigeria’s food export is yet to elicit acceptability at the global market.
He further noted that poor branding of foods by exporters usually affect their marketability and competitiveness at the global market.
The NIFST boss noted that Nigeria has the capacity to dominate the global food export market but called for more conscious efforts to explore the huge opportunity in the sector.
He restated the preparedness of NISFT ” to harness the abundance of talent, knowledge and skills among food professionals in Nigeria towards foods sufficiency and good nutrition of the masses”.
Projecting the value global food industry to hit $10 trillion by 2027, the NIFST boss said that the organization was making frantic efforts to enable Nigeria get a fare chunk of the projection.
He regretted that Nigeria currently, imports more than three times, the value of its food exports.
Professor Abu, however, expressed optimism that experts in the sector would in the course of the conference, brainstorm on the ways to navigate the country out of the woods.
According to him the conferees are drawn from the academics, civil society, food industry, Government.
The NIFST boss commended the Federal Government for establishing the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology, NICFoST to regulate the practice of food science in Nigeria.
He urged Government not to delay in inaugurating the council at ones.
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He, however, appealed for adequate funding to enable NIFST execute its activities in the country council.
Professor Abu predicted bright future for Nigeria in food export is all the necessary stakeholders should play their card well.