Customs processed $937m agricultural exports Q3 – Official

The Nigeria Customs Service, Lilypond Export Command, Lagos, has stated that it processed the export of $937m of agricultural produce and manufactured goods in the third quarter of 2024.

The command’s Area Controller, Ajibola Odusanya, disclosed this while addressing journalists at the command in Ijora, Lagos on Thursday.

Odusanya attributed the success to the consolidation of all export seats into the command, adding that the “remarkable increase was 407 per cent high from $184m collected in the second quarter of the year, up to $937m collected at the end of the third quarter of 2024.”

He explained that in September alone, the command processed 3,363 export containers with a total weight of 221,961.53 metric tonnes valued at $202m.

According to him, the highest contribution came from agricultural commodities including sesame seeds and hibiscus flowers, which accounted for $93.7m followed by manufactured goods at $65m.

Odusanya noted that the command generated a sum of N1.45bn as Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme from all export activities in September.

“The command also collected N88m in duties on exports of previously imported goods, in line with the provisions of the 2022 Fiscal Policy of the government,” he said.

The controller maintained that the tonnage of exported goods surged by 368 per cent from 86,783.93 metric tons to 405,979.72 metric tons stressing that NESS also recorded a 733 per cent growth climbing from N640bn to N5.3tn.

He added that the duty paid on exports of previously imported goods rose from N29m to N136m representing a 359 per cent increase.

The increase, according to Odusanya, reflected the significant scaling up of export processing capacity, improved tracking, and proper documentation and enforcement of customs regulations post-consolidation.

“The consolidation of export seats at all Lagos ports into the command has yielded significant gains, reflected in the impressive increases across key export metrics.

The primary benefit was the elimination of bureaucratic bottlenecks that previously hindered smooth export processes. The centralization of export operations has allowed faster processing times for export documentation, improved compliance with the NCS guidelines and regulations, and a more transparent and traceable export value chain,” Odusanya stated.