Agriculture
FG To Provide Enough Fertilizer For Farmers
The Federal Government has said that, adequate provision has been made for farmers across the country to have enough fertilizer to grow food throughout the year.
The Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Mr Uche Orji, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, Sunday.
“Last year, fertiliser was sold as high as N14,000 a bag in the open market.
“And now we are selling it for N5,500, that is 30 per cent below what the market was. The price is boldly written on the fertiliser bag so you can’t be cheated.
“We have the capacity to blend what the nation needs and this year, fertiliser will not be an excuse for farming in Nigeria.
“Anybody who tries to sell it more than that, there is a whistleblower number and when you call, then, the National Security Adviser would be involved to investigate,” he said.
Orji said that, this year would be different from last year, because Nigeria now has the capacity to blend and produce fertiliser locally.
He said with the help of the NSIA, 12 out of the 28 existing fertiliser blending plants scattered across the country have been resuscitated.
He said the plan is to refurbish additional 6 blending plants by 2018.
“Fertiliser has four components. There is Urea, phosphate, potassium and limestone. You mix it together and that gives you your fertiliser.
“We used to import the whole thing completely blended. And there is a lot of physical labour involved in making fertiliser.
“So what we did was to say, we have 28 blending plants that were ideal. So the presidency said we should have a look and see how we can make fertiliser available to farmers on time and at a reasonable price.
“So, the only way we can do that is to look at how we can do that locally. Of the materials needed to make fertiliser, urea is found in Nigeria as well as limestones in Edo state, Sokoto and many parts of the country.
“Those two components make up 65 per cent so instead of importing the whole thing, we import 35 per cent, ship it to the blending plants, blend it and sell to farmers,” he said.
The NSIA boss, said that Nigeria has an agreement with Morroco to buy Phosphate and the potassium is bought from European traders.
He said local production of fertiliser has helped to create thousands of jobs, revive the moribund government companies, and save foreign exchange for the country.
Orji said the Federal Government was targeting the production of 12 million bags this year.
He said, however, that transportation logistics remained a major problem.
He said, they were taking advantage of the rail system where it works, in places like Kaduna and Bauchi to transport materials to the plants.
Orji said that, the Nigeria Security Adviser was also a part of the programme to offer security for the materials as they were highly sensitive.
According to him, fertiliser is well known as a component for making some kind of bombs.
Federal Government and the Ogun State Government, on Wednesday, distributed farm inputs to farmers as part of effort to address food security challenge.
The State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Toyin Ayo-Ajayi, during the flag-off ceremony of Inputs Redemption Under The National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP), in Ogun State, disclosed that beneficiaries of the gesture were primarily rice, maize and cassava farmers across the State.
Ayo-Ajayi commended the Ogun State Government for partnering with the government at the centre for the effort in supporting farmers with inputs that would bring about yieldings for local consumption and likely exportation.
She noted that government is supporting rice, cassava and maize farmers with inputs worth N212,000; N189,000 and N186,000 respectively.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Kehinde Jokotoye, who represented the Commissioner in the Ministry, Bolu Owotomo, stated that traditional farmers are critical in food production, hence the need to encourage and support them with inputs that would bring about desired results during harvesting.
Owotomo said: “Let us make good use of this opportunity, so that the success of this phase will make farmers benefit more from the state and federal governments of Nigeria.”
Earlier, State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Oluwatoyin Ayo-Ajayi, appreciated the present administration for partnering with the federal government for the initiative, adding that the programme is designed to support farmers at the grassroots level in cassava, rice and maize with inputs such as, seeds, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, to boost their production and enhance their livelihood.
The Niger State Government has mapped out 10,000 hectares of farmland in Gbapo Community of Katcha Local Government Area of the State for smallholder farmers to benefit from the state government’s agricultural intervention programme.
Two thousand out of the 10,000 holders of the farmlands have already received inputs.
At a flag-off ceremony in Yinti Village, the facilitator of the programme, Shinkafan Nupe, Malam Idris Usman Makanta, assured the farmers of increased distributions to the mapped-out ten thousand (10,000) farmlands if farmers respond positively.
He explained that the commencement of the two thousand is to measure the positive response of farmers before obtaining full-scale support.
Malam Makanta stated that this initiative aligns with the farmers’ initial commitment through Niger Foods, whose mission is primarily geared towards establishing efficient and profitable agricultural businesses to support the present administration of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s quest to boost agricultural productivity in the state.
He also commended Niger Foods for their steadfastness and resilience in the effective implementation of the input financing scheme.
Makanta reiterated the commitment of the State Governor in making judicious use of the arable land in the state.
Shinkafan Nupe, therefore, urged the farmers to support the Governor by using the inputs wisely so that the dream can be actualised.
The Gombe State Government has empowered a total of 573,429 farmers and entrepreneurs under the 4th phase of the GO-CARES programme.
The programme was officially flagged off by Governor Inuwa Yahaya in another major step towards alleviating poverty and supporting the state’s vulnerable populations.
The Governor, while inaugurating the disbursement in Akko Community of Akko Local Government Area, restated his administration’s commitment to the welfare of vulnerable citizens in the state.
He was represented by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Salihu Baba Alkali, who is also the Chairman of the Steering Committee on GO- CARES implementation.
“The 4th phase of GO-CARES will directly and indirectly impact a total of 573,429 citizens across the state. Of these, 152,429 individuals will benefit directly through cash transfers, livelihood grants, agricultural inputs, and operational grants to small businesses”, he stated.
The Governor added that, “421,000 people will be indirect beneficiaries through infrastructural projects such as classroom blocks, healthcare facilities, WASH services, and rural infrastructure projects like culverts and drainages”.
Yahaya, reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that the state’s most vulnerable citizens are not left behind in the state’s development.
According to him, “Earlier this year, on June 25, 2024, we flagged off the distribution of improved seedlings, fertilizers, and herbicides to less privileged farmers in Malam Sidi, Kwami Local Government Area, signaling the commencement of the 4th phase implementation of GO-CARES under Result Area 2”.
The Governor reiterated that these initiatives have had a significant impact on the livelihoods of beneficiaries and the overall agricultural sector.
He explained that, “Today’s ceremony marked the simultaneous launch of activities under all three GO-CARES Result Areas for the 4th phase. These areas include: State Cash Transfer Grants: 2,500 direct beneficiaries; Labour Intensive Public Works: 2,700 direct beneficiaries; Livelihood Grants: 10,000 direct beneficiaries; and Basic Services: 405,000 indirect beneficiaries”.