Benue State Government has commenced sale of fertilizer to farmers at subsidized rates.
Governor Samuel Ortom disclosed this during the 2021 flag-off of cropping season for the commencement of sales and distribution of fertilizer to farmers in Makurdi.https://scudnewsng.com
He said a 50kg bag of Urea which was procured for N12,000 would be slashed by 50 percent and sold to farmers at N6,000, just as a50kg bag of NPK which was procured for N9,000 would be sold to farmers at N5,000, representing 40 percent subsidy.
Ortom explained that government had engaged vendors to supply 141 trucks of fertiliser, an equivalent of 4,230 metric tons of granulated inorganic fertilizer, 5 trucks of granulated organic fertiliser, an equivalent of 150 metric tons for the 2021 cropping season.
According to him, the efforts were deliberate move by his administration to add value to the development of agriculture, pointing out that 50 tractors were procured and distributed to farmers at highly subsidized rate to encourage mechanised farming.
He commended the Federal Government for steps taken to cushion the effect of the 2017 and 2018 flood disaster on Benue farmers by the provision of fertiliser to farmers through the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA.
The governor directed security agents to arrest and prosecute anyone caught sabotaging efforts of his administration towards ensuring that the fertiliser get to the real farmers.
Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Titus Uba, commended Ortom for the supply of fertiliser to farmers, saying it would boost agricultural productivity and further portray the state as Food Basket of the Nation.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Timothy Ijir, said the governor had not failed the people by providing fertilizer and farm inputs to Benue farmers at subsidized rates since the inception of his administration.
In his remarks, Chairman House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hon Terwase Aondoakaa, said the distribution of seedlings to farmers and fertilizers would go a long way in enhancing agricultural productivity and urged those involved to ensure that the commodity gets to the desired users.
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