Our Correspondent | Agriculture
Nigeria has lost an estimated ₦4.35 trillion in potential foreign exchange earnings over the last eight years due to the continued ban on beans exportation, according to new data presented by ActionAid Nigeria.
Speaking at the close of a two-day conference on the validation of Nigeria’s National Agroecology Strategy, the General Manager of the Kaduna Agricultural Development Agency (KADA), Muhammad Rili, revealed that the country loses ₦543.75 billion annually—equivalent to $362.5 million at ₦1,500/$—as a direct consequence of the ban. He stressed that the restriction, driven largely by concerns over excessive pesticide use, has weakened Nigeria’s competitiveness in global agricultural markets.
Rili warned that repeated rejection of Nigerian food exports for failing international safety standards is not only eroding revenue but also compounding unemployment and diminishing investor confidence in the agricultural sector.
“Any food rejected internationally is naira lost,” he said, emphasising that poor regulatory oversight on pesticide use continues to undermine Nigeria’s market credibility.
He called on the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) to urgently develop comprehensive pesticide control policies, phase out highly hazardous chemicals, and align local practices with global benchmarks. According to him, a national safe and sustainable food strategy with phased targets—50% pesticide reduction by 2030, 25% by 2040, and less than 5% by 2050—is essential if Nigeria intends to reclaim its presence in premium agricultural markets.
Rili also highlighted alarming public-health and productivity risks associated with pesticides. Despite Nigeria accounting for 25% of global chemical pesticide production, it reportedly records 99% of global pesticide-related deaths from poisoning. He cited WHO findings that 385 million farmers suffered acute pesticide poisoning in 2019, with Africa and Asia disproportionately affected.
A 2022 survey revealed that 75% of smallholder women farmers experienced health complications linked to pesticide exposure, including respiratory distress, dizziness, vomiting, skin reactions, and eye irritation—conditions that collectively reduce labour productivity and increase healthcare costs across the value chain.
In a communiqué issued at the summit, stakeholders—including government representatives, farmers’ organisations, NGOs, donors, and private-sector leaders—urged the Federal Government to:
- Strengthen community seed banks nationwide to preserve indigenous crop varieties, enhance climate resilience, and support participatory breeding programmes;
- Increase investment in local agricultural research and innovation, particularly in agroecology, to boost productivity and food security;
- Prioritise agroecological markets that link consumers and producers, enabling scalable demand for healthier, sustainably grown food;
- Implement land and resource-rights reforms to support smallholder women farmers and young agripreneurs, ensuring equitable access to farmland and input schemes.
Analysts say the losses from the beans export ban underscore a broader structural challenge: Nigeria’s inability to enforce stringent food-safety and production standards required by high-value export markets. Without urgent reforms, they warn, the country risks continued exclusion from lucrative global value chains and sustained pressure on its foreign exchange stability.