Minister Ogbeh raises the alarm, says 80% of imported tomato paste poisonous

Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh has warned against use of imported tomato pastes.

According to him, about 80 per cent of them are poisonous and harmful to human consumption.

The minister, who stated this on Thursday during a budget defence session at the National Assembly, disclosed that the laboratory tests carried out by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), showed that the imported pastes are harmful to human health.

He therefore said that the escalation of kidney, liver and cancer diseases in the country could be linked to the consumption of poisonous preserved imported foods.

Read also: Army apprehends soldiers who beat up cripple for wearing camouflage (Video)

He said the present administration has no option but ban the importation of tomato paste into the country as soon as possible.

He assured that government is making concerted efforts to address the increasing prices of food items in the country.

Ogbeh also noted that Nigeria’s grains production has risen by 11 per cent, as attested to by the statement of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

 

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to download the Ripples Nigeria App for latest updates

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now