The Commodities and Export Department is one of the new Departments created out of the former Commodities and Products Inspectorate Department (CPI) is one of the key Technical Departments of the FMITI created as a result of the high premium the Federal Government places on non-oil export trade to serve as the export promotion arm of the Ministry. Its mandate and functions include:
Ø Initiating and Formulating Policies and Programmes for Agric-commodity value chains development and export promotion;
Ø Promote and enhance private sector interest through the establishment and nurturing of Apex National Commodity Associations;
Ø The Department serves as the National Focal Point to all International Commodity bodies (ICBs) which Nigeria is a member such as:
I. Common Fund for Commodities (CFC);
II. International Coffee Organization (ICO);
III. International Cocoa Organization (ICCO);
IV. International Sugar Organization (ISO);
V. International Rubber Study Group (IRSG);
VI. International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC);
VII. International Pepper Community (IPC);
VIII. Global Shea Alliance (GSA);
IX. Cocoa Producers Alliance (COPAL)
X. African Cashew Alliance (ACA)).
XI. Inter-African Coffee Organization (IACO)
Ø Formulates policies for the establishment, improvement, expansion and efficient operation of the nation’s Commodity Exchange;
Ø Collaborates and supervises the activities of Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and also advises the Federal Government on Export Policy Matters that affect NEPC;
Ø Collates statistics and monitors non-oil exports at the Nation’s ports to ensure compliance with international export regulations;
Ø Initiates, supervises and reviews on regular basis the nation’s export incentives such as the Export Expansion Grants (EEG);
Ø Initiates appropriate policy framework for effective and efficient operations of all Export Free Zones in Nigeria; (NEPZA and OGFZA);
Ø Initiates Export Commodities Development Programmes in collaboration with National Commodity Associations, Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN) and Inter-Governmental Organizations such as Common Funds for Commodities (CFC), United Nations Industrial Organization (UNIDO), Deutsche Geselischhaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), which means Germany Development Agency, Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), etc;
Ø Ensures that Export Free Zones policy guidelines are strictly adhered to by the Free zones authorities and other operators through monitoring and evaluation;
Ø Monitors and enforces Commodities Export Levy collection;
Ø Issuance of Crude Oil/Gas and other related products Export Clearance Permits on recommendations by Department of Petroleum Resources and Monitoring the Export process.
Ø The Department represents the Ministry in the Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme (NESS), which is a committee responsible for monitoring export and import in the Country;
Ø Supervises the implementation of the Export Production Village Scheme in collaboration with NEPC
Ø Initiates policies and programmes to ensure competitiveness of the nation’s agric-commodity and boost quality/standard of our exports
To develop Non-Oil Commodities and other Products as major revenue earners for the country.
The Department is committed to:
Ensuring best practices in non-oil sector so as to attract investment;
Promote the expansion of commodity businesses of the private sector;
Increasing value addition to all commodities;
Ensuring increased consumption of all locally produced commodities and products;
Developing Non-oil export potentials towards increasing their export volume and value.
The Divisions are:
v Commodities and Commerce44 Division (Com. & C44)
v Export Promotion and Free Zones Division (EPFZ)
v Federal Produce Inspection Service Division (FPIS)
The three Divisions are made up of eight branches namely: Commodities & C44 (i) NAADI Section (ii) Cassava/Rubber Section (iii) Cocoa Section (iv) Commerce 44 Section (v) Coffee and Tea EPFZ (vi) Export Promotion Section (vii) Export Free Zones Section OUT-STATION OFFICESIn addition to the Headquarters, the Department has Federal Produce Inspection Officers in the nation’s Seaports in Lagos, Warri, Calabar, Kano, Sokoto and P/Harcourt, and also operates Export Commodities Coordinating Committee (ECCC) liaison office in Lagos.
THE DEPARTMENT SUPERVISES THE FOLLOWING PARASTATALS:
Ø Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority(OGFZ)
Ø Nigeria Export Processing Free Zone (NEPZA)
Ø Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC)
Ø Nigeria Commodities Exchange (NCX)