SON threatens to shut down agro-allied producers that breach standard

By Abiodun OBA

The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Director-General/Chief Executive, Farouk Salim, on Thursday warned that any producer of agro-allied products across the country that deviates from the required standard of the organisation will be sanctioned.

He said SON will ensure Nigeria’s products especially the agro-allied ones continue to be globally accepted.

The Director general read out the riot act at a workshop titled, “Standard Adherence” Catalyst for Trade held in Osogbo.

Salim who was represented by the Director, Southwest, Talatu Ethan, charged them to always be up to standard and not deviate from it affirming that, the body would not compromise its standards.

He argued that Nigeria’s products are having global acceptance, the Federal Government and regulatory bodies are working with stakeholders to ensure that whatever they produce can meet up with the specifications of the foreign countries.

According to him, “Nigeria’s agro-allied products are sellable across the world and the body would not compromise its standards”.

He, however, disclosed that the workshop was put in place by the organization to support economy diversification agenda of the present administration and intensify efforts to sensitise producers of agro-allied products across the country on strict compliance with SON standards.

Salim stressed that the organisation is at the forefront of driving diversification into agricultural products as a means of generating revenue.

“The objective of this workshop is to create awareness on the importance of standards to ensure that the manufacturers, producers and processors meet up with the minimum requirements of the standards”.

“We have standards for Gari, honey, dry and smoked fish etc. and looking at the focus of the current administration, which is food security, the role of SON is to train, educate and create awareness among the agro-allied sector on quality production.”

“Mandatory conformity assessment will prepare our local producer to produce products that meet up with the minimum requirement of the standards so that the product would be able to compete with foreign products”.

“Any of the manufacturers that deviate from it are to be sanctioned because, our duty is to encourage and support them for production of quality and safe products.”

In his own remark, the Chairman, Osun State Chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Sulaiman Araokanmi, gave kudos to organisers of the workshop saying, it would increase the knowledge in the area of agro-allied production.

According to him, the programme has further widened their understanding on the entailment of agro- allied production and exposed every producer to reason why their jobs should not be handled with levity.

He stressed that the workshop has equally opened their eyes to discover unknown things that will serve as guidance to them to succeed in their various engagements.