Bauchi farmers call on FG to check substandard fertiliser production

Bauchi state farmers have called on the federal government to check fake and substandard production of fertiliser and issue sales permit to operators.

Alhaji Babayo Ibrahim, a rice farmer in Bauchi said, “Some plants in the country were blending without proper authorisation and mixing substandard components to produce adulterated fertiliser, some merchants, engaged in the fertiliser business, are not fully registered as required by the national fertiliser quality control law.”

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

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

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

She also called on the Federal Government to address the challenges to enhance food production and food security challenges in the country.

Mr 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 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 that government must ensure that farmers have access to enough fertiliser to in order sustain food production in.

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

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