By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko, Ibadan
Members of the West Agro Input Dealers Association (WAIDA), on Friday received Listing Permit following NAFDAC’S registration of the marketers in Nigeria.
Presenting the certificate to the Agrochemical marketers in Ibadan, the NAFDAC South-West Regional Director, Mrs Roseline Ajayi, said the focus was on chemicals, unlike on water and drugs sectors.
Ajayi said that Chemical Regulation and Control had become a very serious concern globally /nationally because of the propensity for the abuse and misuse of different categories of chemicals.
According to her, there is no regulated product that can be effectively controlled without the cooperation of the stakeholders in the sector.
Hence, the need for the listing of dealers in agrochemicals for effective monitoring and control of their activities in terms of distribution, storage and sales, she added.
“Those listed are recognised by NAFDAC as authorised chemical dealers who are expected to partner with the agency in measures to ensure that only approved chemicals from recognised sources are made available to farmers and other users in Nigeria.
“On this occasion of presentation of certificates to the first set of listed Agro Input dealer in Oyo State, I wish to congratulate you on behalf of the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye.
“We expect that this landmark achievement will be a motivation for others to join the squad as partners to sanitise the sector,” Ajayi said.
The WAIDA South -West Executive Secretary, Mr Paulinton Ayeni, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview that WAIDA is a not-for-profit trade organisation comprising dealers/marketers of agro inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, agrochemicals, and farm equipment including fumigation pesticides.
Ayeni added that the organisation was registered under the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) since 2008 and had well trained membership strength of over 1,000 who function as reliable Private Sector Extension Service (PSES) providers to their farmer clients in the nooks and cranny of the SouthWest region.
“The main goal of WAIDA is to ensure timely availability, accessibility and affordability of quality agro inputs to farmers and other end-users within the region and elsewhere, thereby minimising the risks of wrong handling and abuse of the products.
“The surge in the rate of suicide cases and unwholesome practices leading to inappropriate use of agro inputs led the Federal Government, through NAFDAC, to enforce regulation of this sector,” he said.
Also, the WAIDA Regional President, Alhaji Sulaiman Adekola, said the certificate presentation was a landmark achievement for both the association and NAFDAC, after several years of expending efforts to sanitise the agro input sector of Nigeria.
He added that the agro input sector was infiltrated by untrained and unregistered members of the public thereby endangering the health and lives of the populace as well as the environment.
“There is no gainsaying that farmers and other end-users of agro inputs have suffered colossal loses due to prevalence of substandard/fake products, and even wrong prescriptions from such individuals.
“Today’s occasion is a pointer to the fact that Nigeria is on the right path to the safe and responsible handling and use of agrochemicals.
“I appeal to NAFDAC authority to expedite action on the re-issuance of certificates for the trained agro dealers whose names were misspelt, and issuance of certificates to others that were not given earlier, to enable them perfect their documents for Listing.
“All marketers of agro inputs across the South West region are enjoined to immediately register with WAIDA to ensure that they are listed by NAFDAC to avoid any unpleasant consequences that will follow,” Adekola said.
Also, the Oyo State WAIDA Chairman, Mr Solomon Adenitan,
congratulated WAIDA members in Oyo state for being the first set to get listed by NAFDAC in the entire Southwest region.
“Today’s presentation is a great relief to Oyo state and Ibadan members in particular, who have hitherto been branded as fakers.
“I am sure that this will spur our other members to expedite action to get listed in order to recover our lost glory as the hub of quality agro inputs in Nigeria,” Adenitan said. (NAN)
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