‘Fresh Oranges Are Not Our Mandate’ — NAFDAC Boss Explains Agency’s Role.

 

 The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, has clarified that the agency does not regulate fresh produce such as oranges sold directly in markets.

Adeyeye made this known in a recent interview while explaining NAFDAC’s mandate and its role in regulating food and drug products.

According to her, the Ministry of Agriculture has the primary responsibility for regulating fresh agricultural produce, while NAFDAC focuses mainly on processed and semi-processed foods.

She said NAFDAC does not regulate oranges sold fresh in markets but has a role to play when pesticides are used on the crops.

“NAFDAC’s mandate is for processed or semi-processed foods. The oranges you buy in the market, we don’t control the oranges you buy in the market,” she said.

Adeyeye explained that NAFDAC regulates and controls pesticides and therefore has a responsibility to educate farmers on their proper use, including following the instructions on product labels.

She warned that some farmers misuse pesticides by applying more than the recommended quantity, which could pose health risks to consumers.

The NAFDAC boss attributed the practice partly to low literacy levels, noting that some farmers may wrongly believe that using more pesticides would produce better results.

She added that NAFDAC’s Veterinary Medicine and Allied Products Directorate regularly engages farmers and other stakeholders to educate them on the proper use of pesticides and the required waiting period before harvesting.

However, Adeyeye said NAFDAC cannot reach every farmer across the country because of the large number of farmers involved.

“We cannot go to one million farmers in Nigeria. I don’t know how many millions we have. NAFDAC cannot do that. It is the Ministry of Agriculture that should be doing that,” she said.

Adeyeye further clarified that NAFDAC regulates processed food products, including yam-derived products and fufu.

“Yam is NAFDAC, fufu you eat is NAFDAC,” she added.