Business
Borno Farmers Appeal For Fertiliser
Farmers in Maiduguri and neighbouring communities have appealed to the Borno Government to assist them with fertilisers for this year’s farming season.
A cross-section of the farmers interviewed by our correspondent yesterday expressed frustration over their inability to obtain the commodity at government-subsidised rates.
Malam Isyaku Mamman, a farmer in Jere, told our correspodent that he had made several efforts to secure the nutrients without success.
“My crops are shrinking because they need fertiliser, but the commodity is not forthcoming.
“We went to enquire about the fertilisers at the state Ministry of Agriculture only to the directed to the secretariat of the local government council,” Mamman said.
He added that when he and other farmers got to the secretariat, they were asked to go to their various wards for the commodity.
“We were asked to go to our wards but when we got there, we were shocked to discover that government had provided only 10 bags for distribution at each ward.
“This is grossly inadequate because it cannot go round the farmers.”
Mamman expressed dismay that most farmers had been forced to buy the commodity in the black market at exorbitant rates.
“The government rate is between N1,800 and N2,000 per bag of NPK and Urea brands of fertiliser, but at the black market the price is almost double.
“Government is not serious about making the commodity available to farmers at the grassroots.”
Another farmer, Zakari Ahmed, echoed Mamman, saying the government had always made promises of providing fertilisers to farmers without fulfilling such.
“Year in year out they come to us and make empty promises of providing fertiliser at a cheap rate but they always fail to fulfil the promises.
“Even when they supply the commodity, it always arrives very late when it is no longer useful to farmers.”
In his reaction, Alhaji Zanna Konduga, the Secretary of the agriculture ministry, denied allegations of inadequate supply of fertiliser made by the farmers.
Konduga said the government distributed no fewer than 10 truck-loads of the commodity to each local government for onward distribution to farmers.
“The fertilisers were highly subsidised by the government in its bid to ensure bumper harvest this year.
“In addition, a committee was set up by the government to ensure that the commodity gets to real farmers in the villages.”
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