Niger State outgoing governor Abubakar Sani Bello has advocated special funds by state and federal governments for farmers in the area of land preparation and fertiliser acquisition among others.
The governor said this at the inauguration of the operation of Falcol Fertiliser situated at the Niger State Fertiliser Company, Zungeru.
Governor Sani Bello who observed that farming is expensive in terms of land preparation and purchase of fertiliser among other things said having special funds to support farmers will improve agricultural productivity in Nigeria, thereby reducing the price of food.
He expressed delight that the company has become operational after many years of having the structure without the machines to operate.
The governor who thanked the management of J-Marine for agreeing to collaborate with the Niger State government, urged them to consider the immediate farming community.
“I have made a request to the management of the company to sell at least 10 percent of their fertiliser to farmers in the local community at the cost price as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
“I also advised that they should have a sales shop outside the facility for farmers around the facility who will buy in small quantities as most of them are subsistence farmers,” he said.
He acknowledged that fertiliser is an important component in agricultural production and that the facility will add value to farmers.
While stressing the need for the government to sustain support for agriculture in the state, the governor however expressed concern over the attitude of some politicians when it comes to subsidising fertiliser for farmers.
“Fertiliser is a very important component in agricultural production, unfortunately over the years I realised that whatever effort the government makes to ease difficulty by providing fertiliser at an affordable rate is being abused by some politicians because it’s a way of making money,” he said.
The marketing manager of the company, Mr Shola Thomas explained that the plant is producing 100 tons a day. According to him, they were ready to do more to satisfy the farmers by putting more fertiliser in the market and making Niger State a hub of agricultural investment.
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