FG Orders Closure Of Cold Rooms With Rotten Fish In Lagos
— March 28, 2014
The federal government, through the Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Development, has ordered the immediate closure of all cold
rooms found stockpiling expired or unwholesome fish in the country.
The directive was given by the minister, Dr Akinwumi Adesina shortly after inspecting a number of cold storage facilities operated by major fish importers in Lagos recently.
In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP yesterday, the ministry revealed that during the inspection, many of the importers/operators of the cold rooms abandoned their facilities, leaving behind only supervisors and menial workers, who were in no position to give material information on the products held in the facilities.
Against that backdrop, the minister directed the acting director of fisheries in the ministry, Mrs Foluke Areola, to mobilise officials to all frozen fish facilities to undertake a physical count of all such facilities, as well as conduct laboratory tests on products found in them, to ascertain whether or not they are safe for human consumption.
The statement revealed that preliminary assessments indicated that there are about 42 companies with cold storage facilities stocking fish and fish products in the Lagos area. These facilities have varying numbers of cold storage chains, with storage capacities ranging from 500 to 3,000 20kg cartons of fish. The preliminary assessment also revealed that a single cold room belonging to one company with seven subsidiaries contained 2,290 cartons of unwholesome fish, while another had 256 cartons of expired fish and 581 cartons of unwholesome fish.
During the 2nd Stakeholder’s Interactive Session on Re-Positioning of the Fisheries Sector recently, fish and fishery product retailers complained bitterly of sharp business practices by big fish importers, including dumping of unwholesome and expired fish products on the Nigerian market, as well as delving into retailing, which they claimed the importers’ licenses prohibit them from. The retailers further argued that in the process.
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The directive was given by the minister, Dr Akinwumi Adesina shortly after inspecting a number of cold storage facilities operated by major fish importers in Lagos recently.
In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP yesterday, the ministry revealed that during the inspection, many of the importers/operators of the cold rooms abandoned their facilities, leaving behind only supervisors and menial workers, who were in no position to give material information on the products held in the facilities.
Against that backdrop, the minister directed the acting director of fisheries in the ministry, Mrs Foluke Areola, to mobilise officials to all frozen fish facilities to undertake a physical count of all such facilities, as well as conduct laboratory tests on products found in them, to ascertain whether or not they are safe for human consumption.
The statement revealed that preliminary assessments indicated that there are about 42 companies with cold storage facilities stocking fish and fish products in the Lagos area. These facilities have varying numbers of cold storage chains, with storage capacities ranging from 500 to 3,000 20kg cartons of fish. The preliminary assessment also revealed that a single cold room belonging to one company with seven subsidiaries contained 2,290 cartons of unwholesome fish, while another had 256 cartons of expired fish and 581 cartons of unwholesome fish.
During the 2nd Stakeholder’s Interactive Session on Re-Positioning of the Fisheries Sector recently, fish and fishery product retailers complained bitterly of sharp business practices by big fish importers, including dumping of unwholesome and expired fish products on the Nigerian market, as well as delving into retailing, which they claimed the importers’ licenses prohibit them from. The retailers further argued that in the process.
Stay up to date, follow us on Twitter; @LeadershipNGA
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