Nigeria on its way to becoming Africa’s fertilizer – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja said Nigeria is on its way to becoming Africa’s fertilizer powerhouse due to his administration’s right policies since coming to power in 2015.

The President noted that this remarkable achievement, in a very short period of time, had ensured a steady flow of investments to the sector from the private sector; bringing prosperity to millions of Nigerians and good returns to the investors.

He expressed delight that the era of persistent shortage of fertiliser in the country was now a thing of the past, commending FEPSAN for partnering with the Government in the very patriotic backward integration project of enhancing the agricultural value chain.

The President used the occasion to recount steps taken by his administration to limit overreliance on imports, ensure the availability of the commodity and achieve self-sufficiency in food production in the country.

“When this administration came to office in 2015, our focus was on three key areas; Security, Economy and tackling corruption. For every nation to have peace and prosperity, its economy must be inclusive.

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“For Nigeria, a predominantly agrarian nation, having an inclusive economy meant we needed to prioritise the enhancement of our agricultural value chain. We quickly identified the persistent shortage of fertilizer as a key reason for the low yields experienced in our farms.

“This historical scarcity of fertiliser was due to our over reliance on imports and the inefficient participation of the Government in distributing this essential commodity to the farmers.

“As a government, it was very clear to us that these practices needed to change. Nigeria is naturally blessed with most of the raw materials needed to produce fertilisers.

The President noted that a key indicator of the present government’s successful policies is the fact that the country had no shortages of fertilizers during the global COVID lockdowns.

Appreciating those who have invested and continue to invest in the sector, the President said:

“Through these investments, you are double blessed as you are making profits and bringing prosperity to millions of Nigerians working in the agricultural value chain.’’

In his remarks, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, said fertiliser remains a key input to achieving food security and in realisation of this, the apex bank has continued to place great importance on its availability and accessibility by farmers to improve yield, productivity and ultimately, output.

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He explained that the interventions were long-term loans at concessionary interest rates to support domestic blending and distribution across the country.

According to Emefiele, the CBN currently has a balance of stock of fertiliser from the last planting season under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme to the tune of 1.95 million bags and have committed additional 2.6 million bags for use during the 2022 programme.

Also speaking, FEPSAN president, Thomas Etuh thanked President Buhari for commissioning two facilities by members of the association- Barbedos blending plant in Kaduna and the Dangote Urea plant in Lagos- within two months.

Citing recent data from a fertiliser working group that reviews and validates consumption data spanning over 12 years, the FEPSA president said Nigeria recorded its highest consumption of fertilisers at 1.8 million tons per annum in 2021.

He, therefore, assured Nigerians that the association is ready, willing and available to ensure that fertilisers are available in all parts of the country for the 2022 wet season.