Govt’s N52b Debt Stalls Farm Inputs Distribution

• Govt’s N52b Debt Stalls Farm Inputs Distribution

The N52 billion owed agro dealers by the Federal Government under its Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme has stalled the distribution of farm inputs to farmers across the country, Chairman, Fertiliser Producer and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), Thomas Etuh, has said.

The GES scheme is a model where farm inputs are delivered to farmers at a subsidised rate.

Etuh spoke during a stakeholder’s workshop to review the “Draft Fertiliser Quality Control Bill and the National Agriculture Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (NAGESS) Bill,” in Abuja yesterday.

The programme was organised by FEPSAN in partnership with the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) under the Micro-Reforms for African Agribusiness in Nigeria project.

According to him, the inability of the government to pay agro dealers has resulted in farmers using poor seeds and adulterated fertilisers for farming.

These, he lamented, had resulted in poor harvest across the country for farmers leading to food shortage.