Public Health: NAFDAC Warns Nigerians Over Illegal Importation Of Unauthorised Sugar From Brazil, India

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians on illegal importation of unauthorised manufactured sugar from Brazil and India.

This was stated in a release issued by the agency’s management on Wednesday, explaining that the sugar was not registered and was not fortified with Vitamin A, posing a risk to consumer health because the safety and quality of the products were not guaranteed.

According to the statement, the items are imported into Nigerian border areas such as Borno, Adamawa, Lagos, Oyo, and Ogun States via Cameroon (Douala), Niger, Chad, and Benin Republic.

The statement further revealed that an estimated worth of 200 trucks were discovered in Nigerian marketplaces in areas like Mubi, Gamboru’gala, Saki, Keshi, Badagry, and Idi – Iroko and sold for N32,000 – N34,000 each bag.

NAFDAC urged importers, distributors, retailers, and consumers to exercise caution and attention across the supply chain to prevent importing, distributing, selling, and consuming unregistered regulated items.

Meanwhile, the United States Department of Agriculture, in May 2022, had said that domestic sugar consumption in Nigeria stood at 1.62 million tons which represented an increase of 1.3% in comparison to 2021.

The US agency added that the Nigerian sugar market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.14% over the forecast period to reach US$494.116 million by 2027.