The Nation Newspaper

Tag: fertiliser

  • Royal father pleads for early provision of fertiliser

    The Hakimi of Dutse in Bwari Area Council, Alhaji Abubakar Bako, has called on the government to make early provision of fertilisers and seedlings to farmers a top priority.

    Bako, who spoke in an interview with our correspondent, stated that early distribution of fertilisers will make farmers achieve bumper harvest next year.

    ‘’The present government wants to motivate the farmers. The issue of fertiliser and seeds are very important. As farmers, they are always sources of challenge. If government will give us fertilisers before February or March, that will assist farmers a lot,” he said.

    He stated that fertilisers were mostly needed by FCT farmers who, according to him, were finding it hard to practise shifting cultivation due to the land use system.

    ‘’With the growing number of inhabitants and government taking over lands for residential and commercial purposes, there is no land for shifting cultivation again.

    ‘’They talk about getting our manures from refuse dumps but that involves money. What if you don’t have money to evacuate the refuse to the farm because of lack of fund? The only solution is to provide us with fertilisers early enough so that it will boost our farm products,’’ he said.

  • GES: Kogi women farmers seek access to fertiliser

    Women farmers in Kogi State have appealed to the Federal Government to improve on the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme and make fertiliser and other farm inputs more accessible to them.

    The leader of the women farmers drawn from the 21 local government areas of the state,Hajia Hazarat Momoh, made the appeal at the Annual Women Farmers’ Forum in Lokoja.

    She said the meeting was facilitated by Actionaid Nigeria and Kogi-based Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development (PIBCID), a non governmental organisation (NGO), in collaboration with the state Ministry of Agriculture.

    Mrs Momoh said the women farmers organised themselves into groups to be able to participate in the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of Federal Government, which the GES is a critical component.

    She said the scheme was designed for the specific purpose of making affordable, agricultural inputs such as fertilisers and hybrid seeds through the e-wallet system, to registered farmers.

    Mrs Momoh said the major goal of the GES was to increase yield per hectare for all Nigerian farmers.

    She however, expressed concern that none of her registered members in the state received fertiliser for last year’s farming season.

    The Director of Women in Agriculture in the Ministry, Mrs Rachael Tokula, commended members of Women-in-Agriculture and Small-Scale Women Farmers Association of Nigeria (SWOFAN) for their commitment to agriculture.

    She advised them to always liaise with the Ministry of Agriculture instead of the Ministry of Women Affairs to pursue their demands.

    After a careful evaluation of the impact of GES scheme on the ATA, the participants identified some areas to be enhanced.

    They listed inadequate awareness, distance between beneficiaries and agro-dealers, communication, time of delivery and quantity of the inputs, among others, as areas to be improved upon.

    The Executive Director of PIBCID, Mr Victor Adejoh, said the forum was aimed at enhancing the involvement of women farmers in the scheme.

    Mr Alemeru Olusegun of the GES Unit of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture assured the women that the government was committed to improving on its services.

    The women farmers also elected nine members, three from each of the senatorial districts of the state to serve as link between them and the government.

  • Niger spends N10.7b on fertiliser

    The Niger State Government spent N10.7 billion on the implementation of some of its agricultural programmes in the past four years, Governor Babangida Aliyu has said.

    Aliyu, represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Ahmed Matane, at the opening of a stakeholders meeting of staple crops processing zones in Minna, the state capital, said his administration spent N7.5 billion on the procurement and sale of fertiliser at subsidised rates.

    He said the government had ensured a hitch-free sale of fertiliser, adding, that had helped to boost farmers’ productivity.

    He said the government also procured 241 tractors at the cost of N1.5 billion for sale to cooperative groups and large-scale farmers to enhance mechanised farming.

    Aliyu said his administration expended N1 billion on the implementation of commercial agriculture scheme in the state.

    He said the Ministry of Agriculture had procured and sold to the public, grains valued at N757 million, adding that grains were also distributed free-of-charge to indigent members of the society.

    Aliyu said the state government had resuscitated the agricultural extension services to enable farmers adopt and improve on their productivity.

  • Ministry to import 173,000 tonnes of fertiliser

    The Federal Government will import 173,000 tonnes of fertiliser to boost agricultural production next year.

    According to a statement by Dr Olukayode Oyeleye, the Special Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the importation would add up to the 260,000 tonnes to be produced locally by December.

    “For fertiliser, although 610,000 tonnes are expected by December, records from the ministry show that 167,540 tonnes are available, going by feelers from those that have responded to our inquiries on availability.

    “We wrote to about 12 fertiliser companies and six of those that performed well have sent their stock position to us, on what they can produce between now and December.

    “Efforts are already being made to import 173,000 tonnes and produce 260,000 tonnes locally by December,” the minister said.

    Adesina also said the ministry had started ‘fast-track measures’ to increase food production through dry season planting before the end of year.

    “This is to forestall food shortage following the flood disaster in many states of the country,” Adesina said.

    To forestall the crisis, he said that the ministry had begun a ‘double-up farming’ to ensure rapid response and enhanced productivity.

    He directed the directors to register farmers and assist those already registered on the platform of the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) for more food production.

    Adesina spoke at a meeting with directors and heads of departments nof the ministry.