Picture caption:
Mrs. Ethan Talatu, director southwest Region, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) presenting certificate of participation to Miss Monsurat Ololade(aka) Lade Shoes during the one day general Sensitization on Agro Allied Products, held in Osogbo Yesterday.
By Charles Okonji
As part of efforts geared towards keying into the Renewed Hope Initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led Federal Government, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has empowered producers of agro-allied products in the country with the requisite skills and tools required to enable them compete favourably with their counterparts.
The DG/CEO, SON, Faruok Salim, noted that Nigeria’s agro-allied products are sellable across the world, reiterating that the Agency would not compromise its standards in making sure locally made goods are competitive globally.
He said the organisation, in a bid to support the economy diversification agenda of the present administration will continue to intensify efforts to sensitise producers of agro-allied products across the country on strict compliance with SON’s standards sellable across the world.
Represented by the Director Southwest, SON,Talatu Ethan, at a workshop titled, Standard Adherence: Catalyst for Trade held in Osogbo, he said the organisation is at the fore of driving diversification into agricultural products as a means of generating revenue.
“Nigeria’s products are having global acceptance, the Federal Government and regulatory bodies are working with stakeholders to ensure that whatever they produce can meet up with the specifications of the foreign countries,” he stressed.
He stated, “The objective of this workshop is to create awareness on the importance of standards, to ensure that the manufacturers, producers and processors meet up with the minimum requirement of the Standards. We have standards for garri, honey, dried and smoked fish etc. Looking at the focus of the current administration, which is food security, the role of SON is to train, educate and create awareness among the agro-allied sector on quality production.”
He maintained that the objective of the workshop is to create awareness on the importance of standards to ensure that the manufacturers, producers and processors meet up with the minimum requirements of the Standards.
“We have standards for Garri, honey, dry and smoked fish e.t.c and looking at the focus of the current administration which is food security, the role of SON is to train, educate and create awareness among the agro-allied sector on quality production,” he averred.
In his words, “Mandatory conformity assessment, will prepare our local producer to produce products that meet up with the minimum requirement of the standards so that the products would be able to compete with foreign products, our duty is to encourage and support them for production of quality and safe products.”
In his remarks, the Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) Osun state chapter, Sulaiman Araokanmi, described the workshop as timely which seeks to empower agro-allied producers across the country.
Araokanmi expressed that the programme has further expanded their view on the entailment of agro- allied production, saying that the program has exposed every producer to reason why their jobs should not be handled with levity.
He emphasised that the workshop has equally opened their eyes to discovering unknown things that will serve as guidance to their success in their various engagements.
