From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Members of the Fertilizer Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), said they have raised about N140 billion that would enable blenders to procure raw materials for fertilizer production for the 2021 farming season.
FEPSAN, through its Executive Secretary, Mr. Gideon Negedu made this known in a press statement made available to newsmen, following the meeting of Input Suppliers, Agro-Dealers and Financial Institutions held in Abuja. Mr. Negedu said that the association have been having different challenges, of which the critical one is the adulteration of fertilizers by some corrupt blenders.
“People buy these fertilizers and expect that the mineral contents of say NPK 15:15:15 is in the right ratio, proportion, and formulations. However they don’t get what they have paid for because of adulteration,” the statement stated. The FEPSAN Executive Secretary then advised the citizens to patronize only FEPSAN accredited blenders to guarantee the quality of the fertilizer purchased.
“FEPSAN is proud to work with the government in coming out with what we call Fertilizer Quality Control Act which will help to sanitize the industry and ensure that farmers have access to quality fertilizer. That law will help to make sure that there is teeth to bite for fakers and people who adulterate fertilizer, so that when they are caught, they will face the law.
“We are also calling on the government to provide security for farmers to be able to go to the farm because if we produce anything and the farmers are not there to pick, it means nothing.”