Following the recent announcement of the duty-free policy by the federal government, the Association of Freight Forwarding Practitioners of Nigeria (AFFPON) has called on the government to put in place mechanisms that will monitor importers and traders enjoying the policy to sell commodities at affordable prices.
AFFPON added that the price-monitoring mechanism would make Nigerians feel the real impact of the policy.
The call was made by the President of AFFPON, Miftahu Ya’u Bachirawa, while responding to questions from newsmen shortly after granting an interview with the BBC Hausa Service that was aired on Thursday morning.
He described the new duty and VAT-free policy on essential food items for six months as a well thought-out idea that would reduce the current level of hardship in the country that had led to the nationwide protest, adding that it would also bring down the prices of commodities at the retail points.
He said that the policy, which included raw materials for manufacturing food items, agricultural production inputs, fertilisers, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, poultry feeds, flour, paddy rice and grains, would go a long way in reducing the current hardship faced by Nigerians.
He further said, “The problems we as freight forwarders are facing are not more than those being faced by the generality of Nigerians which is that of economic hardship brought about by inflation and other factors in the country.
“Most of these problems are linked with the imports and exports of goods as well as the closure of the borders that disallow the importation of goods.
“This has led to the current hardship in the country that has subsequently degenerated into a nationwide protest.
“If the duties are abolished and imports and exports of goods are encouraged, definitely a good business environment will exist that will hopefully bring down the prices of commodities and also bring down the retail prices of goods in the markets.”
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