Farmers want FG to check substandard fertiliser production

Farmers in Bauchi State have called on the Federal Government to check fake and substandard production of fertiliser.

Some of the farmers, who spoke on Tuesday, also urged the government to issue sale permits to operators.

Babayo Ibrahim, a rice farmer in Bauchi, said that some plants in the country were blending without proper authorisation and mixing substandard components to produce adulterated fertiliser.

Ibrahim said that some merchants, who engaged in the fertiliser business, are not fully registered as required by the national fertiliser quality control law.

He called on the government to get rid of adulterated fertiliser from the market and to ensure that no firm produces fertiliser without government’s approval.

Fatima Abdu-Misau, treasurer, Small Scale Women Farmers of Nigeria (SWOFON), attributed the scarcity of raw materials to the high cost of the fertiliser.

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She urged the Federal Government to source the two important raw materials locally through the Solid Mineral Development Fund to guide against future scarcity.

Abdu-Misua called on the Federal Government to address the challenges to enhance food production and food security challenges in the country.

Samuel Luka, a farmer, said substandard fertiliser and the increase in prices of fertilisers in the country, was affecting farmers, hence the need to support them.

“There is a need for smallholder farmers to be provided with free bags of fertiliser in a package to effectively reduce their fertiliser cost per acre by at least 33.3 per cent,” he said.

He said the government must ensure that farmers have access to enough fertiliser to sustain food production.

Luka appealed to government and international fertiliser producers, to make a commitment to the provision of fertilisers.