The Nigerian government has inaugurated a National Task Force aimed at ensuring compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation, a move crucial for maintaining the country’s agricultural exports to the EU market.
According to The PUNCH, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, emphasized the importance of aligning Nigeria’s agricultural practices with international standards.
Kyari noted that the EU’s deforestation regulation, which came into effect on June 29, 2023, has an 18-month window for implementation, with a deadline set for December 2024.
He stressed the consequences of non-compliance, particularly for Nigeria’s key agricultural sectors.
“The loss of the market due to non-compliance with EUDR presents a great threat to the cocoa, rubber, soya, and timber value chains, which together make up a significant portion of our export trade,” Kyari warned.
He outlined that cocoa represents 80 percent, rubber 7 percent, soya 7 percent, and timber 5 percent of Nigeria’s exports to the EU, valued at 523 million Euros.
Kyari called for a united effort from all stakeholders, including both government and private sector players, to meet the requirements set by the EU.
“As members of the NTF on EUDR, we have an urgent and critical task ahead of us. We can no longer afford to work in silos,” he urged.
One of the key tasks ahead, according to the minister, is updating Nigeria’s forest mapping system, which was last completed in 1959, and establishing a national traceability system to monitor agricultural value chains.
“Mapping our forests and implementing a traceability system is of utmost importance,” Kyari added.
The establishment of the NTF is seen as a significant step toward securing Nigeria’s access to the EU market and preserving its agricultural export industries.
