The federal government has vowed to effectively regulate the production, importation and distribution of fertilisers in Nigeria.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono who made this vow yesterday at the public presentation of the National Fertiliser Quality Control Act 2019, said this has become necessary not only to ensure food security in the country, but also to ensure that the sale of fertilisers do not constitute national security challenge for the country.
It has been reported that some terrorist groups in the north east part of the country are using some fertiliser brands to make explosive devices.
He said that the Fertiliser Act was enacted into law to safeguard and protect the interest of the entire fertiliser value chain players such as manufacturers, producers, blenders, importers, distributors and the end user farmers by providing enabling environment for fertiliser enterprises to grow, and to protect farmers against access to nutrition-deficient and adulterated fertilisers.
He said the government will put in place some policy measures to ensure that the fertilisers being produced, distributed and sold to farmers across the country meet the required set standards in terms of quantity and quality and are properly kept in check.
These measures he said include: Proper documentation and licensing of all the players in the fertiliser value chain from the manufacturers, producers, blenders, importers, distributors to the end user farmers to ensure traceability and accountability in the fertiliser delivery process as well as deployment and re-training of more Fertilizer Quality Control inspectors to add to the already trained over 150 officers to ensure proper monitoring and enforcement of the provisions of the Act and the regulations.
According to the minister who promised strict implementation of the provisions of the Act, “The National Fertiliser Development Center (NFDC), Kaduna and the collaborating Zonal Research Institutes’ Laboratories would be upgraded and equipped to ensure timely rendering of product evaluation results.”
While calling for the cooperation of all in order to create conducive working environment where the interests of all the players in the fertiliser sector are guaranteed and protected, he charged all the umbrella associations of the fertiliser industry players such as Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) and Nigeria Agro-input Dealers Association (NAIDA) to put in place proper mechanism for self-regulation as this will create a healthy working environment for the enforcement of the Act.
Earlier in his welcome address, permanent secretary in the ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mu’azu Abdulkadir, said the agricultural sector holds the key to rapid economic growth, wealth creation and poverty alleviation. “It contributes about 21.2 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as at 2018, 88 per cent of Non-oil foreign exchange earnings, employs about 70 per cent of the active labour force and provides raw materials for the agro-allied industrial sector,” he said.
According to him, fertiliser is a crucial input in crop production and productivity. “It is a key element in food security as its proper usage contributes in increasing yield and protecting land resources,” he said.
The public presentation attracted stakeholders from both the public and private sectors as well as the security agencies.
In his goodwill message, chairman, Senate committee on Agriculture, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, recalled that over the years, the Nigerian agriculture was bedeviled with a number of challenges including the issue of lack of availability of quality inputs most especially fertilisers for crop production.
According to him, “The Nigeria fertiliser market was filled with all manner of low quality fertilisers ranging from fake, adulterated to under-weight fertiliser bags.
He noted that the National Assembly will always be there to support in providing the necessary legal framework to help the growth of the agricultural sector and thanked all those who worked with him to ensure the enactment of the Act.
Also speaking, the National Security Adviser, General Babagana Monguno, who was represented by Rear Admiral Yaminu Musa, said the act was very important to his office.
He said even though the use of fertiliser is for farming, in recent times, some people have found it useful in the production of explosive devices used by the terrorists.
“That is why we are collaborating to ensure that there is adequate control of movement of fertiliser in Nigeria and even in the production, we need to know the harmful aspects of it.
The new law prohibits operating or carrying on fertiliser business as a manufacturer, blender, importer or distributor of fertiliser in Nigeria with an expired permit or certificate of registration; Selling any fertilizer supplement that contains destructive ingredients or properties harmful to plant growth when used according to the accompanying instructions or in accordance with the instructions contained on the label of the package in which the fertiliser or the fertiliser supplement is contained.