Fertiliser Bill ‘ll address farmers’ challenge- NAGB



ABUJA- THE Nigeria Agribusiness Group, NABG, has assured that the Fertiliser Bill before the National Assembly will address farmers’ challenge in food production.
This was stated by the Vice President, NABG, Emmanuel Ijewere, during a meeting with other stakeholders in the agricultural sector, which include the Seed Association of Nigeria, SEEDAN, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, AGRA, and the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria, FEPSAN in Abuja.
Ijewere further stated that the stakeholders’ meeting became necessary, which will help to make new inputs to the bill in order to address farmers’ challenges in the sector.
He said: “The Fertiliser Bill currently before the National Assembly was sent by the Executive in 2013 and between that time and now, a lot of things have changed, there is need for inputs to be made before it is passed.
“A group of professors were put together by MIRA who were tasked to look and review the Bill and make it more relevant today. The aim is to get a bill to the National Assembly that is more current that takes into consideration the farmers who are end users of the input.
“Farmers do not get high yields due to adulteration. This bill will ensure that anyone that adulterates fertiliser is made to pay a huge fine.”
According to him, the bill has provision for recourse when farmers fall victim of fake fertiliser in order to help them get their refund as a way to protect farmers.
“The farmers will have recourse because when they lose money, nobody speaks for them, they will have a place to go to. This bill will also give responsibilities to state government to speak for the farmers because they are too small to speak for themselves, he added.
Meanwhile, one of the key partners, Alliance for a Green Revolution will intensify investments in Nigeria by continuing to help strengthen private sector agribusiness and the capacity of smallholder farmers to meet the demands of food processors.
The investment covers policy and regulatory reforms in the importation, manufacturing, distribution and quality control of fertilisers to improve crop production and productivity.
Local talents to provide technical analysis of the economic impact of policy and regulatory reforms for agri-inputs and services in Nigeria has mobilised by AGRA.

Working in partnership with the organised private sector and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), AGRA will be investing in streamlined processes to align public-private investments in the production and supply of certified seeds of improved varieties and hybrids.

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