Gombe State to Distribute Fertilizer Worth N2.7bn

• Gombe State to Distribute Fertilizer Worth N2.7bn

Gombe State government has said that it plans to spend about N2.7billion on the procurement of fertilizer to be distributed to farmers in the state for the 2017 cropping season.

Gombe State Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Dahiru Buba Biri, who stated this in the state capital explained that the distribution had been delayed due to shortage in supply of NPK brand, hence it became necessary to inform the public of government’s preparedness as they have been alleging that it failed to arrange for fertilizers for the cropping season.

According to him, “Government has made adequate arrangements as you can see from the fertilizers in our stores that would be distributed to farmers immediately” .

He explained that the state government was facing challenges in the supply of NPK from the federal government through 11 blending fertilizers across the country.

The commissioner explained further that so far, only 3,000 out of the 10,000 metric tonnes of NPK Gombe subscribed for had been supplied, with approval to lift additional six metric tonnes.

“We have already in stock the earmarked 10,000 metric tonnes of Urea but we have to delay the distribution until we have 60 percent of the required NPK.

“The reason is because if we commence distribution and suspends it halfway, there will be serious problems, people will start reading different meanings because they may not understand the cause,” Biri explained.

He promised the farmers in the state that government would commence the distribution of the commodity immediately.

He explained further that government will subsidise fertilizer to farmers in the state following approval from Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo.

The commissioner disclosed that presently, a bag of fertilizer costs between N5, 000.00 and N5, 500.00 and the state government is expected to subsidise the amount.

Buba Biri had conducted journalists round the ministry’s storage facilities where 3000 metric tonnes of NPK and 10, 000 metric tonnes of Urea were stored for onward distribution to farmers in the state for this year’s farming season.