Fertilizer Shortage: Jigawa Farmers’ Association Blows Hot, Calls For Dissolution Of PFI.

…As Gov. Badaru Distances Self From Alleged Failure

By Mohammed Abubakar, Dutse

Faced with the prospect of possible low harvest this cropping season, the Northwest Inputs Agro Dealers Association of Nigeria (NIADAN), Jigawa chapter, has expressed concerns over the continued shortage of fertilizer supplies to farmers despite the federal government’ s efforts at making the commodity available.

They have, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Badaru Abubakar to intervene and make UREA fertilizer available to farmers without further delay.

As short term measure, they called for the immediate dissolution of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, (PFI) headed by Governor Badaru for alleged failure to carry out it’s responsibility

The association made the call through its chairman of the state, Yusuf Baba Muhammed during an interactive session with newsmen in Dutse.

Represented by his deputy, Haro Shehu Muhammad maintained that the current shortage of UREA fertilizer would affect raining season farming and result in poor harvest in the country.

According to him, “We are therefore, appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari and the governor of Jigawa Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar, who is also the chairman of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative to take appropriate action on the three major UREA fertilizer producers in Nigeria to make the commodity available to indigenous dealers in the country for easy access by farmers with out further delay”.

NIADAN boss accused the three producers of UREA fertilizer of refusal to supply the indigenous dealers whom he said, had deposited their monies for more than three months, some for about a year, at the same time exporting the products outside the country despite the urgent needs of the products in the country.

Shehu maintained that “this is the best time for the use of the fertilizer by farmers and is out of markets in most parts of the country “not because they are not producing, but denying Nigerian farmers through non supplies to dealers where farmers will get it”.

He alleged that this attitude by the producers is an intentional effort to sabotage national food security and eat what we produce policies of president Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, adding that “it also create hunger in the country in addition to increase in the national economic crises”.

He called for federal government interventions, while alleging that the three major producing companies of UREA fertilizer including Dangote, Indorama and Notore were busy exporting the product abroad to the detriment of indigenous dealers across the country.

“We feel this is intentional move to create hunger for the citizens in the country, this month of August is the most consumption time of fertilizer in the country for both dealers and farmers for farm use.

“As registered dealers, we deposited our money to some of the above mentioned companies but yet, no release for months, while the companies are busy producing the fertilizer and shipping them abroad, we feel this is intentional” , the chairman said.

“Our farmers are in need of the UREA fertilizer at this season of August September for their farms use but, the fertilizer is scarce and no where to be found, despite we have the fertilizer plants in the country, this is of no useful to nation or even a sabotage to the move by Buhari’s effort of diversifying the economy through agriculture”, he said.

However, the governor absolved himself of any blame for the alleged failure, putting the blame on the office of the Chief of Staff, ( CoS) to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.

When contacted on the alleged failure to deliver on the task given to them, the governor said, ” I am not a were of what is happening now in the committee as I was not called for its meeting or to participate in any of its operation in the last two years.

Badaru, who absolved himself from the failure of the committee insisted that, when he was active in the committee, the success achieved was unprecedented and every farmer and Nigerians witnessed.

The chairman who insisted that, no letter of disengagement given to him but maintained that only Chief of Staff of the president, Professor Ibrahim Gambari can give account or provide answer to any question related to the committee activities for the last two years.