The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has unveiled new Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS), and Codes of Practice for planting beans seed across the country.
In response to concerns raised about the preservation of the food item recently, the Director-General, SON, Osita Aboloma, in a statement, said the standards are relevant for beans along the value chain, to take care of issues concerning the proper preservation of the crop from planting to the table, while also assuring the safety of consumers.
He enumerated the Standard and Codes of Practice as follows; Standard for Dry Beans (NIS 1030: 2018); Code of Good Agricultural Practice: Planting of Dry Beans (NCP 065: 2018), Code of Good Practice: Harvesting of Dry Beans (NCP 067: 2018); Code of Practice for Packaging of Dry Beans (NCP 064: 2018), Code of Practice: Storage and Transportation of Dry Beans (NCP 066: 2018).
Aboloma urged Nigerians to take greater interest in their welfare by reporting to relevant regulatory and security agencies any suspected unwholesome, sub-standard or life endangering products or practices.
He however commended the consumer who reported to the Police the beans vendor for using a pesticide for the preservation of the crop on sale.
According to him, such individual and collective awareness by consumers in general are essential for effective standards implementation and enforcement in Nigeria.
He pointed out that the standard and codes of practices, which have been approved for use by the Standards Council, were results of consensus decisions by stakeholders, including, farmers, processors, Federal Ministry of Agriculture (FMoA) officials, regulatory agencies, academicians, research institutes and consumer advocates, among others, while SON officials provided the Secretariat.
He also disclosed that plans are ongoing among the FMoA, other regulatory agencies, and SON for a nationwide advocacy programme for farmers, processors, and extension workers in states and local governments on the standard and codes of practice for beans and other grains.
Recall that the agency recently approved a record 399 new products and services standards for publication and use in Nigeria. The affected standards, which cut across various products and services, were approved at the Council’s 3rd meeting in Lagos last month. The move was in line with the provisions of the SON Act No. 14 of 2015.
Chairman of the Council and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Edet Akpan commended the Technical Committee of the Council and the SON Standards Development Directorate for the painstaking work done in coordinating stakeholders’ active participation in the development as well as editorial work of the standards.
He said the approved standards will not only boost the quality of goods and services available to Nigerians but also improve their competitiveness in the local and international markets.
