The FG has warned Nigerians about fake honey being imported
- The honey is made with sugar syrup and is dangerous to human health
- Minister of agriculture, Audu Ogbeh delivered the warning
Chief Audu Ogbeh, the Nigerian minister of agriculture and rural development delivered a warning to Nigerians about the presence of fake honey produced from sugar syrup in the country.
While receiving a delegation from the Nigeria Agiculture Platform (NAP), who won the hosting right for the country of 2018 APIEXPO (Apiculture Expo) in Nigeria and assured payment for hosting right fee of $50, 000.
Ogbeh commended NAP for the resilience and doggedness to win the hosting rights assuring them that it was indeed the right time for such big expo to host the African stakeholders and investors from all over the world in 2018.
The minister said: “Thanks you also for responding to national call and for winning the hosting right.
“The payment of the hosting fee within 10 days is short but we have to host it. We will pay the $50, 000 but should extend the deadline for us because we have to get the money out by following due process and get it as quickly as possible within a month or two.
"We will support you and the industry as government.We abandoned agriculture in this country for a very long time and today things are very tough. We became importers and not producers, and so we import everything including honey.
“There is no harm in importing but if it consumes 80 per cent of what you earn. The import bill of honey from China is about $100 million a year. Some of that honey is not real honey. Many are made up of sugar syrup.
“It is time to take the business of agriculture seriously. Let us eat what we produce and what produce what we eat. I do not see why Tanzania, Botswana, Rwanda, Kenya and others in East Africa make so much money from honey exports, and we can’t.
"I am happy that you are now taking up the challenge. You honey farmers are the heroes for keeping bees."
Meanwhile, there have been reports of fake rice made of plastic, made by forming potatoes and sweet potatoes into regular rice grains shape, then adding industrial synthetic resins.
It remains hard after cooking and can cause serious health issues. Naij.com compiled a list of how to identify such rice here.
Also, there are fake eggs too. The fake eggs are said to be made out of resin, starch and pigments. The shell is made of shaped calcium carbonate while starch, resin, and cellulose coagulants is used for the egg white and edible pigment additives is used for the yolk.
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