More dan one month afta President Bola Tinubu announce say goment go comot tax and duty payment for some food items, di Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) don release guidelines on how di policy go work.
Tinubu bin make di announcement for early July as part of im goment effort to bring down di price of food for di kontri, but three weeks afta di announcement, some major food dealers bin tell BBC News Pidgin say dem still dey pay di tax and duty moni.
Abdullahi Maiwada, di tok tok pesin for di NCS, release one statement by di Service on Wednesday, 14 August, wia e tok di conditions wey importers go meet bifor dem go benefit from di policy.
According to di statement, di policy don already dey in effect since 15 July 2024 and e go remain in force until 31 December 2024.
Remember say di food items wey go enjoy di di duty waiver na: Husked Brown Rice, Grain Sorghum, Millet, Maize, Wheat, and Beans.
- Tinubu decision to suspend tax on some imported foods na threat to national economy?
- Fact-check: Misleading tins wey dem tell you about meat
- How prices of food items increase afta 10 days protest for Nigeria
“E dey important to emphasise say dis temporary measure na to address current hardship, e no go undermine di long-term strategies wey don dey in place to safeguard local farmers and protect manufacturers,” Maiwada tok.
Di following na condition for importers to fit benefit from di tax and duty waiver for food imports, according to di NCS:
- Di company gatz dey registered for Nigeria and e go don operate for at least five years.
- Di company gatz dey up to date wit dia annual returns, financial statements, taxes and statutory payroll for di last five years.
- Company wey wan import husked brown rice, grain sorghum, or millet go show say dem get milling plant wit capacity of at least 100 tons per day, and di plant go don dey operate for at least four years. Di company go also show say dem get enough farmland for cultivation.
- Company wey wan import maize, wheat, or beans must to be agricultural company wey get sufficient farmland. Or company wey dey produce animal feed or dey process agricultural products, and dem go bet out-grower network for cultivation.
- Na di Federal Ministry of Finance go dey give di Nigeria Customs list of importers wey meet di criteria and di quota wey dey approved for dem to import.
- Companies must to sell 75% of di products wey dem import under dis policy, and dem must to use ‘recognised commodities exchanges’ to sell am
- Di company must to dey keep correct record of all di transactions and storage of di food wey dem import using dis policy, bicos goment fit demand for am at any time.
- Any company wey no keep evritin wey goment require, go lose all di waiver and e must to pay all di levy, tax and duty.
- Also any company wey export any of di food items weda for dia original form or processed form, go lose di benefits.
‘Na only few pipo get di opportunity’
One food importer wey dey for Jibiya local goment area of Katsina State, Nura Hamisu Jibiya, tok say di goment policy for food import dey very strict as na only importers wey meet di criteria e go favour.
E also get concern about di date wey goment go stop am.
“But I know say dis go help in bringing down food price for Nigeria, but dem say e go only last till December, wey I tink say e no go dey enough to make food prices to drop well or stabilise,” Hamisu tok.
E add say, “Anoda problem na Niger and Benin borders wey dey closed since last year wey soldiers for Niger do coup for Bazoum, wey make Benin Republic close down dia borders, and na from dia we dey import most of our rice to Nigeria. If dem no open dia borders na anoda problem bi dat.”
“But I hear say di two nations don begin dey tok to see di possibility for opening dia land borders, if e happun e mean say Nigeria fit import rice well well.”
Farmers association react
All farmers Association of Nigeria don react say food import na welcome idea but e no fit bring solution in food crisis wey dey worry di citizens of di kontri.
Yunusa Halidu, di National Secretary of di Farmers Association of Nigeria, tell BBC News Pidgin say “di food wey dem go import into Nigeria na welcome idea but e no fit change anytin sake say Nigerians go need dollar buy food outside Nigeria”.
“E like say we dey try to make anoda kontri rich while we dey make our own poor,” e tok.
Haladu tok say, “Beside making oda kontris rich, na anoda way of making oda pipo for Nigeria rich, and I dey tell you dis tin no go work for Nigeria, price no go come down.”
Di secretary tok say wetin Nigeria need na to improve farming for di kontri and na im be di only way to come out of dis food scarcity and price problem.
- Tinubu decision to suspend tax on some imported foods na threat to national economy?
- Six ways to tackle high cost of food for Nigeria – Tinubu plan to suspend tax on imported brown rice, corn, odas
- Why food prices still dey rise even as naira dey strong against dollar?
- Wetin be witholding tax Nigeria goment excuse for small businesses and farmers and how e go benefit dem
