A new report shows that only 40 per cent of industrial food products on the Rwandan market are safe against food hazard infections in banana, cassava, honey and grains processing.
The study was carried out by National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA) between July last year and February 2018 to ensure agro-processing industries use one of the important tools known as “Hazard Analysis Critical Control point: HACCP”.
The system calls for safe techniques averting any contamination of processed foods.
According to the analysis, agro-processing is the largest manufacturing sub-sector constituting 80% of the total number of local industries.
However, the findings show that 60 per cent of industrial foods from those agro-processing industries on the local market are not certified for safety and quality because they are not aware of hazards control system.
57 per cent of industries interviewed are aware of the safety system, 22 per cent are aware of it at a low level while 21 per cent have no knowledge of the tool while 43 per cent think that ‘HACCP’ system is realistic, cheap and achievable.
The report recommends basic training on HACCP, types of hazards, their identification and control measures, corrective actions, documentation and record keeping, emphasising the importance of HACCP implementation to industries and their businesses.
NIRDA should also advise the government how to develop a policy dedicated to the food processing industry to better regulate the sector and guide those who want to enter the food industry on how to include the hazard control system from the beginning, it says.
Speaking during the launch of the training on using HACCP system, Dr George Nyombaire, Head of Research and Development Coordination Department at NIRDA, said there are over 200 small agro-processing industries.
“The HACCP system will help produce goods of sufficient quality and quantity to supply potential export markets in line with the National Export Strategy II. Considering that African countries recently signed a common market treaty, local food industries need to make sure they are certified for such food safety standards so that they are not rejected by clients,” he said.
The Director General of NIRDA, Kampeta Sayinzoga, said that in the next fiscal year they will partner with Business Development Fund (BDF) so that agro-processing SMEs can access finance to acquire necessary equipment and cover any other costs in implementation of hazards control system
FG receives N263.28bn from FAAC allocation in Feb – NBS
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), says the Federal Government received a total of N263. 28 billion from the N635.55 billion Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursed to three tiers of government in February.
The NBS made this known in FAAC for February 2018 Disbursement data posted on the bureau’s website.
T
he states received a total of N172.87 billion and Local governments received N129.99 billion.
The bureau, however, stated that the amount disbursed to three tiers of government was from the revenue generated in January.
According to NBS, the amount disbursed comprised of N538.91 billion from the Statutory Account and N96.65 billion from Valued Added Tax (VAT).
“The sum of N52.04 billion was shared among the oil producing states as 13 per cent derivation fund.
“The revenue generating agencies such as Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Inland Revenue Service and Department of Petroleum Resources received N4.08 billion, N6.29 billion and N4.47 billion respectively as cost of revenue collections.”
Meanwhile, the breakdown of revenue allocation distribution to the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) revealed that N223.42 billion was disbursed to the FGN consolidated revenue account in the month.
It showed N4.73 billion as share of derivation and ecology, and N2.37 billon as stabilisation fund.
The breakdown further showed that N7.95 billion was shared for the development of natural resources and N5.62 billion to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.