Akwa Ibom State Government yesterday said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with suppliers of fertilisers to make the commodity and other farm inputs easily accessible to its farmers.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Godwin Afangideh, made this known to newsmen in Uyo

He said the measure would also ensure that the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) programme was efficient in the state.

Afangideh said that the State Government promised to pay the suppliers 50 per cent of the goods supplied while they wait for the Federal Government to pay its own 50 per cent.

“In 2012 only 17, 000 bags of fertilisers out of 98, 000 required in Akwa Ibom were accessed and the amount of farm inputs received by farmers were below expectation.

“We have signed an MoU with suppliers of fertilisers and farm inputs to make sure that the entire need of farmers in terms of fertilisers and other farm imputes are met,” he said.

Afangideh blamed banks for the failure of 2012 supply of farm inputs in the state.

The commissioner said that “even after the agro-dealers fulfilled the terms of agreement to enable them to access funds, the banks failed to make funds available’’.

He described the GES programme as one of the policies that would enable farmer’s access fertilisers and other farm inputs easily.

Afangideh explained that the registration, creation of database on farmers and use of mobile phones would stop the farmers from being short-changed.

According to him, farmers who pay 50 per cent of the cost of fertilisers will get the product.

He added that the Federal Government paid 50 per cent of the cost of the fertilisers and gave farm inputs free of charge.

Afangideh, however, maintained that state governments were no longer involved in the acquisition and distribution of fertilisers.

“To ensure that there is increase in food production and increase the income of agro-dealers in the state, Akwa Ibom government distributed forms to farmers who need agric loans,” he further said