Governor Nasir El-Rufai has hailed OCP Africa for building its first Nigeria fertilizer blending plant in Kaduna state, describing it as a huge milestone in the state government’s quest for development.
The governor who stated this at the commissioning of the fertilizer blending plant located at the Green Agro-allied Industrial Zone last Tuesday, noted that it will make the input available to farmers.
“OCP locating a fertilizer blending plant within Kaduna state also expands the access that our farmers have to fertilizer supplies. It helps to improve the availability of a very essential ingredient for farming,” he said.
The governor recalled that when he came into office in 2015, he realised that the interests of farmers had not been prioritised in the fertilizer subsidy arrangement.
The Kaduna State Government then partnered with OCP Africa to make fertilisers available to farmers without subsidy, he pointed out.
“That partnership in 2016 helped to demonstrated that it was possible to get fertilisers into the hands of farmers without an expensive and inefficient subsidy regime,” he said.
El-Rufai noted that the blending plant implies creating more jobs for the people and bringing in more incomes for families and reducing poverty in Kaduna state.
Noting that OCP Africa would be joining other major companies like Olam and Tomato Jos in investing in the state’s agriculture sector, the governor appreciated Olam for being the first investor to respond to the state’s investment push.
According to him, they have had a major impact on farmers and the state.
