Nigeria says works in progress to lift EU's ban on dried beans export

The Nigerian government on Tuesday said work is in progress to ensure that the European Union's ban of the West African country's dried beans exports is lifted by next month.

The government said it had submitted a series of reports to the EU and will work closely with relevant agencies to see the end of the suspension.

Dried beans from Nigeria were reported to have contained high level of pesticides considered to be too dangerous to human health, causing the European bloc to slam an export suspension measure on it in June last year.

The suspension period, however, is expected to elapse next month, with Nigeria providing substantial guarantees that adequate official control systems have been put in place to ensure compliance with food law requirements.

Coordinating director of the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service Vincent Isegbe told reporters in Abuja that the African most populous country now has sufficient laboratory equipment to test for aflatoxin.

"We do not have any issues with that; we are trying to put our house in order," the official said.

Describing the ban as a national embarrassment, Isegbe said Nigeria will ensure that past mistakes were corrected before the deadline.

He said certified quarantine service officers were not contacted to test the batch of beans that failed to meet international standards leading to the suspension. Endit