OCP Africa, Research Institutes to Develop Specialised Wheat Fertiliser

The OCP Africa has revealed that it has partnered with some research institutions to develop a specialised fertiliser that will boost wheat production in Nigeria.

OCP Africa, a leading global producer of phosphate and its derivates, is a company with the mandate to develop fertiliser solutions customized to local conditions and crop needs and committed to the sustainable development of African agriculture.

The partnership agreement was signed with three research institutions namely; the Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI), Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), and Centre for Dryland Agriculture, BUK, OCP Africa revealed in a press statement.

The Nigeria Country Manager of the organisation, Caleb Usoh, during a two-day workshop organised to mark the commencement of the project in Kaduna said that the partnership will proffer solutions that would spike an astronomical increase in wheat production in Nigeria.

Themed “Soil Mapping and Fertility Evaluation for Formulation and Validation of Wheat specific Fertilizer in Nigeria,” that workshop seeks to grow local wheat production.

Usoh, who was represented by the Business Development Manager, Akin Akiwande, said that the organisation became interested in the wheat value chain following calls received from the Kaduna State Ministry of Agriculture for soil testing assistance in 2020.

“This, according to the Country Manager, subsequently led to the development of bespoke fertiliser for about 142,000 hectares cleared for wheat production in the Birnin Gwari area of the state.

He noted that wheat production was faced with several problems including poor access to improved seed varieties, inappropriate fertilisers and agrochemicals, poor irrigation systems among others, adding that in a bid to resolve these problems, the company has beckoned on their research partners to collaborate with them.

Usoh, therefore, appealed to the government, donors, developmental agencies, stakeholders in agriculture, farmers as well as the farming community to support the project accordingly.