New presidential fertilizer initiative will trigger high prices, farmers tell Tinubu 

By Gabriel Ewepu

FARMERS nether the auspices of the Coalition of Farmers Association of Nigeria, COFAN,  and Himma Youth Farmers Association of Nigeria, HYFAN, yesterday, asserted that the caller Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, PFI, volition trigger precocious outgo of fertilizers.

The National President of COFAN, Dr Abubakar Bamai, said that the determination by the authorities with the caller PFI was amid rising input costs, organisation gaps, and uncertainty successful fertilizer supply, would endanger the gains made implicit the past 8 years and volition further worsen the nutrient situation successful Nigeria.

Bamai said the existent terms of fertilizer astatine N58,000 per 100 kilograms had made astir farmers to merchantability their farms with crops to bargain workplace inputs, and galore person already abandoned their farms owed to precocious outgo of inputs, adding that precocious outgo of fertilizer volition compound the woes.

He stated: “COFAN and HYFAN commend President Bola Tinubu, for his bold cultivation reforms and programs aimed astatine repositioning Nigeria’s nutrient systems. These reforms amusement beardown committedness to husbandman empowerment, younker inclusion, and nationalist nutrient security.

“However, arsenic the Federal Government undertakes the ongoing deliberation and restructuring of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI), we explicit heavy interest astir the contiguous effects connected Nigerian farmers, peculiarly smallholder and younker farmers.  

“Rising input costs, organisation gaps, and uncertainty successful fertilizer proviso endanger to undermine the gains made implicit the past 8 years.”

Meanwhile, arsenic 1 of their large demands, the conjugation said the authorities should let Ministry of Finance Incorporated, MOFI, to proceed managing earthy worldly importation.

“In this regard, we respectfully impulse President Tinubu not to let these achievements to beryllium eroded. Specifically, we telephone connected the Federal Government to: Continue the importation of fertilizer earthy materials until section accumulation capableness is afloat reliable to conscionable nationalist demand.

“Allow the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) to proceed managing earthy worldly importation, ensuring efficiency, transparency, and stableness successful the proviso chain.

“Adopt a balanced attack that protects farmers successful the abbreviated word portion gathering stronger section capableness for the future.”

The station New statesmanlike fertilizer inaugural volition trigger precocious prices, farmers archer Tinubu  appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.