Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, on Saturday, pegged the NPK 15-15 fertilizer sales at N19,000 per bag, saying it would assist farmers in the state to boost yield and maximise profits.
Launching the exercise in Kwami Local Government, Yahaya called on farmers to take advantage of the slashed rate to increase their agricultural yield in the state.
Our correspondent reports that fertilizer rate ranges from N25,000 to N32,000 across open markets visited. Farmers and traders blame the price of staple food to cost of fertilizer.
Yahaya said, “On this note, I have directed that for the 2022 farming season, a bag of NPK 15- 15 fertilizer to be sold at N19,000 per bag. I would like to call on our hardworking farmers of Gombe State to take full advantage of this opportunity to advance the cause of their farming activities. While I urge our farmers to approach the farming season with strong commitment and enthusiasm, I pray that God will grant us sufficient rain, blessed farming season and bumper harvest.”
The governor assured of transparent prices of distribution such that the people in the rural areas would benefit, stressing that the the Ministry of Agriculture alongside security agencies had been charged to ensure equitable distribution.
“In line with our normal practice, fertilizer will be supplied directly to the Local Governments for onward sale and distribution through the polling units so as to reach the grassroots. Our objective is to ensure that our rural farmers are supplied all the basic farm inputs at their doorsteps without necessarily going through bureaucratic or economic red-tapism associated with the past.
“As a result, we strengthened the Ministry of Agriculture, the Fertilizer Monitoring Committee, and relevant security agencies in order to ensure that fertilizer reaches its intended beneficiaries promptly. The Ministry of Agriculture and relevant security agencies are hereby directed to ensure strict compliance with the clear guidelines of the sale and distribution exercise,” Yahaya added.
On his part, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Husbandry, Muhammad Getado, assured that efforts had been geared towards ensuring that the governor’s aspiration was realised.
He said, “The Ministry will monitor the distribution of fertilizer closely. Anybody found to be sabotaging His Excellency’s effort will be sanctioned severely.
“I call on all farmers to avail themselves of this great opportunity to boost their agricultural production thereby restoring the state to its rightful position as a great agrarian state.”
Also speaking, the State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Musa Inuwa, lauded the governor for his conscious efforts in ensuring over 70 per cent of the state population, which are farmers, were made comfortable.
