Business

Buhari orders marketers of fertilisers to sell their products at N5,000 per 50kg bag

Published

4 years ago

2020/09/23

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered marketers of fertilisers to sell their products N5,000 per 50kg bag, even amidst the scarcity and rise in prices of farm inputs recently in the open market.

This was disclosed by the Jigawa State governor, Abubakar Badaru, at the meeting of the National Council on Food Security held at the presidential villa on Tuesday.

Business day report noted, he said the president gave the orders to ensure that farmers are able to access the commodity.

The governor, who is the chairperson of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) said the federal government had spent about N23 billion to support farmers in 14 states, while another N8 billion was spent to support some states that were affected by conflict, so that farmers can resume economic activity.

Mr Badaru had announced in April that the federal government has reduced the price of NPK fertiliser from N5,500 to N5,000 per 50kg bag, as part of palliatives introduced to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on farmers and other end-users.

“As part of measures introduced by Mr President to provide relief to Nigerian farmers on account of COVID-19 pandemic, the price of NPK 20.10.10 fertiliser is now N5,000 from N5,500 per 50 kg bag,” Mr Badaru said.

He promised that sufficient quantities of the fertiliser would be made available in time for the wet season farming, in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, Mr Badaru has said that the bulk purchase of food commodities distributed as COVID-19 palliatives is one of the factors responsible for the observed high cost of food in the country.

He said he is confident that the situation will change since harvest season has begun and more commodities are arriving at the markets.