The Special Assistant to Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi state on New Media Mr. Leo Ekene Oketa has warned Ebonyi people especially farmers to desist from diverting and adulterating of government made fertilizer products saying that such action if not check will effect agricultural output.

 

In a statement in which Guardian obtained a copy in Abakaliki on Wednesday, Mr. Oketa added that special taskforce have been put in place to check compliance and offenders adding that Ebonyi State fertilizer company products is the best in the country.

 

While condemning the action, Oketa maintained that every bag of fertilizer diverted or adulterated will denied farmers the potentially support intended to improve their harvest warning those that involve in the act to stop or face the law.

 

For every counterfeit product sold in the name of Ebonyi Fertilizer, the reputation of the genuine product is damaged. And for every government intervention that is diverted, the ultimate objective of increasing agricultural yield and achieving food sufficiency is undermined” he noted.

 

“This is why the Task Force is important. It is not merely about catching offenders. It is about protecting the farmer, protecting the product, protecting public resources and protecting the integrity of the Governor’s agricultural intervention” Oketa added.

 

He further stated that the company’s 20-10-10 fertilizer comes in two colours of bags, green and white noting that the green bag is not for sale while the white bag is for sale.

 

“This is perhaps the most important message for farmers and members of the public. The green-bagged 20-10-10 is the fertilizer supplied by the Ebonyi State Government for distribution to farmers free of charge as part of its support for agricultural production” he explained.

 

“The white-bagged 20-10-10 is the commercial product intended for sale through agro-dealers and the open market. The quality and quantity are the same. The different colours are primarily an accountability and tracking mechanism” he maintained.

 

“So, if you see the green-bagged Ebonyi fertilizer being sold in a shop or market, that is a red flag.

It raises a simple question: How did a fertilizer meant to be given to farmers free of charge end up for sale? The colour coding therefore helps the Government track its intervention, protect farmers and discourage the diversion of agricultural inputs” he added.

 

The statement further read “Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru’s practical farming agenda is therefore being supported not only by production, but also by monitoring, accountability and enforcement”.

 

“Ebonyi is putting agriculture to work, thanks to the splendid strides of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, supported by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Princess Mrs. Nkechinyere Iyioku and the Director General of the company, Dr. Sunday Nwangele.

 

“The revival of the Ebonyi State Fertilizer and Chemical Company Limited is not only about producing fertilizer. It is also about ensuring that what gets to the farmer is genuine, properly produced and actually reaches the person it was meant for”.

 

“There is a team making sure of that. The Ebonyi State Fertilizer and Chemical Company has a Task Force Unit made up of staff of the company, members of the Board, representatives of agro-dealers and security personnel”.

 

“Their mandate is surveillance, monitoring and protection of the integrity of Ebonyi’s fertilizer products and in the past, unscrupulous persons could attempt to mimic the company’s bags, fill them with adulterated or inferior products and pass them off as genuine Ebonyi fertilizer”.

 

“That is no longer business as usual. The Task Force conducts surveillance across major locations where fertiliser is sold. The company also has informants in strategic locations, helping to identify activities involving the adulteration, counterfeiting or unauthorised sale of its products”.

 

“Where offenders are identified, they are apprehended and the public is conscientis on how to identify the genuine products”.