The European Union (EU) has extended its ban on importation of dried beans from Nigeria by three years, the Coordinating Director, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), Dr Vincent Isegbe, has said.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), yesterday, Dr Ishegbe lamented that the extension came when the federal government and its relevant agencies were working to ensure that the June dateline to lift the ban was met.

The EU banned importation of Nigeria’s dried beans in June 2015 on the ground that the produce contained high level of pesticide considered dangerous to human health.

Nigeria was accused of not doing enough to lift the ban during the period of suspension by the EU. “The continued presence of dichlorvos (pesticide) in dried beans imported from Nigeria and maximum residue levels of pesticides shows that compliance with food law requirement as regards pesticide residual cannot be achieved in the short term,” Isegbe said, reading from an EU journal.

“The duration of the importation prohibition should, therefore, be extended for an additional period of three years to allow Nigeria implement the appropriate risk-management measure and provide required guarantees.”

He said that the extension should serve as an opportunity for stakeholders to correct the mistake.

Isegbe called for the sensitisation of stakeholders, especially farmers, on corrective measures to avoid such future embarrassment.