Identified hidden costs associated with clearing, logistics, packaging and handling of fertilisers have been removed by the Federal Government. President of Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), Sadiq Kassim, who revealed this in Abuja yesterday, assured the farming public, government, regulators, financial institutions and stakeholders across the chain of distribution of adequate, quality and cost-efficient fertilisers in the country.

While assuring that Nigeria has adequate production capacity to meet the fertiliser needs of sub-Saharan Africa, Kassim lauded the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) for supporting the industry, which has helped in catalysing local capacity to supply the production plants with critical raw materials.

He hinted that as the farming season 2025 beckons, the fertiliser industry, working with key partners and the government, is putting measures in place to ensure it’s hitch-free.

He said the association is grateful for the immense support that the President Bola Tinubu-led government continues to give to ensure that investments in the industry thrive as farmers now have timely access to affordable, quality fertilisers to boost productivity and ensure food security.

The FEPSAN boss noted that the PFI is being strengthened to make it more efficient to meet the demand of manufacturers and blenders in Nigeria. According to him, the fertilizer industry in Nigeria mainly supplies macronutrients in the form of Nitrogen (N) Phosphorus (P) Potassium (K) blended into different formulations called NPK, other nutrients include Calcium (Ca), Sulphur (S), Zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn), Boron (B) through over 90 blenders spread across the country.

He revealed that there are three major producers of Urea using the country’s natural gas resources. His words: “Stock Position to commence the farming season is at 400,000 tons of NPR. The raw materials in-country at various plants stand at about 80,000 tons of DAP, 60,000 tons of MOP, and 114,000 tons of GAS. Urea is produced locally so plants can be restocked with one week’s notice.”

He further disclosed that blenders have put in a request for raw materials to blend over one million tons of NPK. He said arrangements have been made by PFI-NPK Ltd for the continuous supply of raw materials such as 150,000 tons of MOP which is scheduled to begin arriving by the end of April, 100,000 tons of DAP to start arriving by May and 150,000 tons of Granular Ammonium Sulphate (GAS) to start arriving by May as well.

Historical figures for the past three years have been less than a million tonnes of NPK, which means that the industry is poised to push fertiliser consumption usage forward in line with the government’s agenda to double the consumption in the next two years.

To ensure value for money, Kassim hinted that the industry, working with research institutions, has made progress in developing special blends of fertilisers that are crop-specific, soil-specific and cost-effective.

“This assures users of optimum results. By identifying the nutrient requirement of crops or soil, blenders offer customised solutions to the market and follow up with special extension education to communities and the last mile,” he explained.