China donates mycotoxin handbooks to Nigeria

As part of efforts to assist Nigeria in its fight against exportation of sub-standard non-oil and agriculture produce, and to achieve food safety, the Peoples’ Republic of China, through her embassy in Nigeria, has donated Mycotoxin handbooks to Nigeria.
Presenting the book recently to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who received the book on behalf of the government, the Ambassador of the Peoples’ Republic of China in Nigeria, Dr. Zhou Pingjian stated that China stands ready to continue its cooperation with the Nigerian government and people to implement the outcome of President Buhari’s visit to China earlier this year.

He added that the production/donation of the handbooks is one of the steps towards assisting Nigeria to achieve her food safety objectives.
Responding, Ogbeh, noted that there has been a lot of slow self-poisoning going on in Nigeria for many years, as we do not have enough information and education on what we eat. He thus stated that the book will help to avert the dangers inherent in the food we eat in the country and promote export of Nigeria’s food and agricultural products.

He described the handbook as a very vital publication, which should be used for massive education and training of farmers, extension workers/agents, food vendors, processors, consumers, market men and women, as well as agricultural value chain actors to propagate the message and information in the handbook.
He therefore, directed that copies of the handbook should also be made available to all agricultural institutions and other relevant stakeholders in the country to help spread the message in the handbook, adding that, “It is better to prevent the ailment than to cure it.” He thanked the Peoples’ Republic of China, the embassy of China in Nigeria, the authors of the handbook and all those who contributed to putting the handbook together.
The educational handbook was written by Dr. Maimuna Habib of the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service and Dr. Anthony Negedu of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, both in Abuja.