TheCable

The presidency says four million 50kg bags of fertiliser will be delivered to farmers in the country at an affordable price before the end of 2017.

Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, said this while speaking on FRCN Kaduna over the weekend.

He said the presidential fertiliser initiative (PFI) also aims to increase the eleven fertilizer blending plants in the country to 18 by the end of the year, thereby providing direct employment to “no fewer than 50,000 Nigerians”.

Shehu added that the four million bags of fertiliser to be delivered to farmers is in addition to “six million bags” already sold to farmers since the initiative commenced”.

‘‘The problem of the shortage of fertilisers and its attendant high cost plaguing the nation’s agricultural production have been resolved following the successful execution of the mandate of the PFI,” he said.

‘‘Since the implementation of the Initiative, the six million 50kg bags of NPK fertilisers were purchased by state governments and agro-dealers across the country.

“The production of locally-blended fertilizer has saved the federal government about $150 million this year, hitherto spent on foreign exchange; and N60 billion in budgetary provisions for fertilizer subsidy.”

The presidential spokesman further said the successful implementation of the PFI had made fertilizer available to Nigerian farmers at affordable prices.

He stated that a 50kg bag of NPK fertiliser was reportedly sold at N10,900 last year while it is currently being sold at about N6,500 although “the government-approved price is N5,500”.

Shehu added: “This is an indication that the initiative has enhanced food security as a result of the increase in food production.

“There is also a reduction in food-induced inflation while economic activities across the agriculture value chain are very impressive.”