FG to Increase Fertiliser Blending Plants in Nigeria to 18 by Dec

By Dipo Olowookere

Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media & Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, has disclosed that plans were underway to increase the 11 fertilizer blending plants in the country to 18 by the end of the year.

According to the President’s media aide, this will, in turn, provide direct employment to no fewer than 50,000 Nigerians.

Speaking at the weekend on Hannu Ya Dawa, an audience participation programme on FRCN Kaduna, Mr Shehu also said farmers across the country will receive 4 million bags of 50kg Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium (NPK) fertilisers before the end of the year.

He said the fertilisers would be distributed by the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) to farmers at an affordable price.

Mr Shehu said the projected delivery of the commodity by December is in addition to the six million bags of 50kg fertilizers already sold to farmers since the Initiative commenced early this year.

“The problem of the shortage of fertilizers and its attendant high cost plaguing the nation’s agricultural production, seemingly intractable for decades, have been resolved following the successful execution of the mandate of the PFI.

“Since the implementation of the Initiative, the six million 50kg bags of NPK fertilizers were purchased by State governments and agro-dealers across the country,” he said.

The President’s spokesman noted that the production of locally-blended fertilizer had saved the Federal Government about $150 million this year, hitherto spent on foreign exchange; and N60 billion in budgetary provisions for fertilizer subsidy.

He added that the successful implementation of the PFI had made fertilizer available to Nigerian farmers at affordable prices and in time for the 2017 wet season farming.

“Last year, Daily Trust newspaper reported that a bag of 50kg NPK fertilizer was sold at N10,900 in Benue State. Today the same commodity is being sold at about N6, 500 in different locations across the country, while the government-approved price is N5,500,” he said.

Quoting the same newspaper report, Mallam Shehu noted that a bag of maize which was sold at N21,000 last year is currently being sold at an average of N10,000.

“This is an indication that the Initiative has enhanced food security as a result of the increase in food production. There is also a reduction in food-induced inflation while economic activities across the agriculture value chain are very impressive,” Mr Shehu added.