Farmers groan over fertiliser prices

There are fears that escalating cost of inputs, especially fertiliser, a major component, may hamper this year’s harvest. Last Thursday, Kabir Ibrahim, President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), blamed the increase in prices of fertiliser and other inputs on inflation, the rate of the Naira to the dollar, and the recession. Of concern to the farmers is the increase of farm input from N5, 000 in 2014 to N10, 000 in 2016.

Government, however, appears to be putting measures in place to check the trend. On Thursday, Babagana Monguno, the National Security Adviser, summoned the managements of Notore and Indorama, two fertilizer producers in the country, when he pointedly accused them of causing the rise in the market price of the essential product by exporting the bulk of what they produce to the detriment of local farmers. He said they were abusing the goodwill of government that gave them the climate to do business.

Recall that during the previous administration, farmers, who registered under the Growth Enhancement Scheme, accessed two bags of fertiliser at the cost of N2, 500 each, while the Federal and state government subsidised 50 percent.

Unfortunately, the current administration has been unable to facilitate the distribution of fertilisers for two consecutive farming cycles, due in part to what an insider blamed on the activities of fertilizer manufacturers and inconsistent government policy.

Interestingly, Ibrahim reiterated his position that subsidy be removed from fertilizer so that the product will find its market determined price, and remove the corruption that attends its procurement and distribution by government officials.

But small-scale farmers do not share his sentiments, saying it is the large-scale farmers that are pushing for the removal of subsidy on fertilisers. It was revealed that Federal Government’s inability to pay agro dealers supplying farm input during the 2014 farming season and the ensuing controversy, also posed serious set back for the programme.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said he handed off the payment because of allegations that he removed N2bn out of the N20bn part-payment disbursed to some of the agro dealers.