Lagos -An agricultural expert, Mr John Laoye, has urged farmers in the country to ensure that their farm produce met internationally accepted standards.
Laoye, a commercial farmer in Lagos, urged farmers to cultivate crops that could be consumed internationally by adapting to acceptable standards for such agric produce.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Saturday that farmers should target the standard required by the European Union (EU) before allowing some of our agric produce into its member countries.
“If we imbibe this habit there will be no need of going the extra mile for our produce to be accepted in the countries we wish to export them.
“This is the way to go now that the country is refocusing on agriculture as the main stay of the economy in view of the dwindling oil revenue.
“To achieve this or farmers need to be well-informed and educated on correct standards during application of fertiliser and pesticides on crops, “ he said.
He attributed some of the health challenges noticeable in the country to the methods adopted by farmers during the cropping seasons.
“The way our farmers plant and apply agric inputs during the planting and harvesting seasons might not be unconnected with our various health challenges, “ he said.
According to him, the way our farm produce is being handled from the point of harvest to the market leaves much to be desired.
Olaoye lamented that our agriculture chain lacked methods of testing to check that what we produce and send to the market was safe to eat.
He further advised consumers not to consume anything that did not meet the acceptable minimum intake standards if they notice such.
“Our health should also be important to us, after planting, harvesting and conveying the produce to the market, “ he said. (NAN)