Farmers ranging from small and medium-scale in Jigawa State have decried the country’s high cost of fertilizer.
According to them, the most important farming input, fertilizer’s high cost has become a threat to food production in the nation.
The farmers warned that if the situation is not properly addressed, there may be shortages and inflation of food thereby making life difficult for the common man.
Malam Ibrahim, a farmer in Ringim, Jigawa State, explained farmers mostly use local manure as an alternative to fertilizer due to its cost and accessibility.
“We are now using manure in order to boost land fertility so that we can have a good yield and even the manure is not available due to its higher demand,” he said.
It was gathered that the fertilizers are sold mostly at the cost of N16,000 to N17,000 (NPK) in the market while UREA is sold at the cost of N20,000 to N25,000, unlike the previous year when the Federal Government sold the fertilizer (NPK) at the cost of N7,500 which is 100% increase compared to last year.
The Managing Director of Jigawa Agricultural Supply Company, JASCO, Alhaji Rabiu Khalid Maigatari, responding, affirmed the state government has released about 1,700,000 bags of fertilizer to its 45 stores across the state.
We have already received the delivery of over 160 trucks equivalent to 4,500 metric tons of fertilizer which are distributed to over 45 stores across the state.
“We have also taken all the necessary measures to ensure that farmers access the fertilizer at the approved price,” he said.
He then asked the general public to report anybody found diverting the fertilizer to another place or trying to alter the fixed price to the police and other security agencies.
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