Borno Govt. launches fertiliser sales for 2016 cropping season


Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno on Tuesday launched fertiliser sales for the 2016 cropping season, with a call on farmers to help produce enough food to avert food crisis in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the last time the governor launched the fertiliser sales in the state was in 2013 due to the Boko Haram insurgency.
Shettima, represented by his deputy, Alhaji Mamman Durkwa, launched the sales at a ceremony in Biu, headquarters of Biu Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
He said that the government decided to launch the fertiliser sales following the attainment of relative peace in the state.
Shettima said that the fertiliser would be sold at a highly subsidised rate to boost food production in the state ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency.
He said that each bag of NPK and Urea fertilisers would be sold at N3,500 to farmers as against the market rate of N10,000.
Shettima urged the beneficiaries to take advantage of government’s gesture by utilising the fertilisers for the intended purpose.
He warned against diversion of the commodity to the black market, saying that farmers caught doing so would be prosecuted.
Shettima also unveiled plans to disburse N200 million soft loans to farmers in the five Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the Borno South to boost food production.
He named the LGAs to include Biu, Hawul, Shani, Bayo and Kwaya-Kusar.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Muhammad Amin, said that government had set aside 10,000 bags of fertilisers for sales to farmers in Borno North this year.

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