Farmers urge Jigawa govt. to hasten fertilizer distribution


 Some farmers in Hadejia, Jigawa, have called on the state government to commence distribution of fertilisers on time to boost food production.
They also called for the review of Growth Enhancement Support (GES) programme, to enhance access to fertilisers and inputs.
A cross section of farmers made the call on Tuesday in Hadejia in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
One of the farmers, Malam Usman Gambo, stressed the need for the government to provide fertilisers and inputs on time to enable farmers cultivate their farmlands on good time.
Another farmer, Bashir Danladi, urged the government to assist farmers with drought resistant and early maturing seeds to guard against losses.
He explained that early distribution of fertilisers was also necessary to guard against the warning of dry spell predicted by the Nigeria Metro logical Agency (NIMET).
``The government should heed the warning by NIMET and distribute fertilizers and seeds to farmers at the beginning of the cropping season," he said.
Also speaking, Kassim Musa, who cultivates rice, called for review of the GES programmes to enhance farmers’ access to fertilizers and inputs.
He stressed the need for the government to distribute fertilisers and other inputs to farmers via their personalized phone numbers, to guard against diversion of the commodities.
``Farmers in rural communities are facing difficulties in sourcing fertilisers due to exorbitant prices at the market.
``A review of the GES programme will enhance farmers’ access to the commodities,” he said.
Musa also stressed the need for the government to train farmers on modern processing and preservation technologies, to enhance their enterprising skills and add value to their produce.
He hailed the Federal Government for introducing agriculture loan scheme, saying the gesture would promote agricultural financing in the country.

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