Shippers Council partners Commonwealth to improve packaging of Agro products

The Executive Secretary of the Council, Barrister Hassan Bello, who made the disclosure over the weekend, said the partnership was aimed at improving on standard of Nigerian export products in foreign countries.

He explained that the foreign firm will engage both airport and inland dry ports in the area of packaging Nigeria’s exports ,adding that the council would collaborate with other agencies, in order to have a structured system that would prevent intruders from having access to farms or ports to purchase products illegally.

Bello, noted that packaging would create access for import and export of Nigerian products.

He said: “The issue of standardisation is being looked at by other agencies, the port quarantine, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, are doing a great job in standardisation, they are inspectors right from onset of produce. An instance of it is agriculture, the type of fertilizer you use.

“The type of insecticide you will use is all brought to bear in standardisation. They are in contact between the buyer oversees and Nigeria, they will specify the grade they want in a product; all these we are keeping tabs on.

“We are now on high gear discussion with the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council in London, because one area that is of difficulty is packaging.

“There are two packaging, for the journey itself, then packaging for commercial purposes, for advertisement, you have to package your products very well.

“So, the CEIC will come up with ideas on putting packaging companies in all these ports including the Kano airport and then the Kaduna dry port and the dry ports wherever they find them,” he said.