Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
Kebbi State Government has procured N405 million worth of assorted fertilizers for the 2020 wet season farming.
The Chairman, Sales and Distribution of fertilizers verification committee, Alhaji Abubakar Bello confirmed this on Wednesday in Birnin Kebbi when presented the report of the committee to Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, represented by the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Suleiman Muhammad Argungu.
It will be recalled that the committee was set up by Kebbi State Government two weeks ago to verify sales and distribution of assorted fertiliser to farmers in the State.
The Chairman explained that this translates to over 165.5 trucks, equivalent to 99,900, 50-kgs bags of assorted fertilizers, that were procured and supplied to the State government.
The Chairman disclosed that, out of the figure, 81,000 bags were delivered to the fifteen fertilizer depots across the State, while the balance of 13,900 bags were yet to be delivered by the contractor.
He said that a quarter of the commodity was allocated to the local governments in the State for onward distribution to the farmers.
In the same vein, the balance of 61,600 bags were sold to the farmers by KASCOM, through open sales.
According to him, ‘N 97.5million worth of fertilizers were delivered to the local governments, while N380millon worth of the commodity was sold to the farmers by KASCOM.
‘As at now, N 156.84 million had been remitted to the KASCOM account , while N 161.16million was still hanging with the various depots.’
Governor Bagudu commended the Committee for discharging the assignment assiduously, within thirteen days.
Represented by the Chief of Staff, Government House, Birnin Kebbi, Alhaji Suleiman Muhammad Argungu, Bagudu pledged to restrategize, to ensure that, the commodity reaches all the targeted genuine farmers.
This, the governor noted, was to make up for some of the observed lapses during the distribution of the commodity.
While assuring that government would look at the report critically, he warned that government would not take it kindly with anybody who have sold the commodity without following due process or without remitting the money back to government coffers.