The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has said Nigerians need to better understand the responsibilities of agencies involved in food safety.
Adeyeye made the remarks in a video shared online by BusinessDay TV on Sunday, while explaining NAFDAC’s role in regulating food from “farm to fork.”
“We are ignorant in this country, we are very ignorant. We don’t read. We don’t understand,” she said.
According to her, “There are many organizations. There are many agencies that are involved from farm to fork,” stressing that NAFDAC’s mandate primarily covers processed and semi-processed foods.
“NAFDAC mandate is for processed or semi-processed foods. So the oranges you buy in the market, we don’t control the oranges you buy in the market,” she explained.
She said the Ministry of Agriculture has the primary responsibility for fresh produce, but NAFDAC becomes involved because it regulates pesticides.
“However, if somebody puts pesticides on that orange, we have to train the farmer,” Adeyeye said, adding that NAFDAC works with the Ministry of Agriculture to educate farmers on the proper use of pesticides.
She also attributed some challenges to illiteracy, saying, “We have about 56 percent illiteracy,” and that some farmers may misunderstand instructions on pesticide labels.
“Sometimes our people don’t understand, and they think the more you put, the better,” she said.
Adeyeye, however, acknowledged that NAFDAC cannot reach every farmer in Nigeria, noting, “We cannot go to one million farmers in Nigeria. I don’t know how many millions we have. NAFDAC cannot do that.”
She added that while the Ministry of Agriculture should primarily handle fresh produce, NAFDAC also has a responsibility to support farmer education because it regulates pesticides.
