AGRA/NPFS meets producers, Agro products dealers on business linkages on organic fertilizer
By Abubakar Hassan
The Alliance for Green Revolution is Africa (AGRA) in collaboration with National Programme on Food Security (NPFS) and Niger state consortium has met with producers and leaders of Agro products to explore business linkages on organic fertilizer.
Speaking at the one day interactive session, held at the conference room of Niger state ministry of agriculture, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Musa Salihu Bawa represented by the director Agric services and linkages, Alhaji Adamu Maikasuwa disclosed that the state is working towards phasing out the use of inorganic fertilizer in farming activities.
He said Organic Fertilizer was the solution to quality and healthy food production and sustainable farming, observing that it will be a difficult task to get the farmers change their minds from the use of the inorganic fertilizer but that it can be done gradually.
The Commissioner added that the state government through the ministry have already set up a committee that will see to the gradual phasing out of the chemical fortified fertilizer, under the chairmanship of the Director of Agric services and linkages
He disclosed that henceforth any fertilizer coming into the state will be at a ratio of 60 percent organic fortified fertilizer and 40 percent inorganic, adding that on this note the inorganic fertilizer will be gradually phased out in the state.
The Commissioner also appreciated AGRA and NPFS, as well as other partners for all their support to the Agricultural development in the state, observing that to achieve the promotion of the usage of organic products in the state, aggressive campaign and sensitization, as well as the physical demonstration of the benefits of using organic fertilizer will be required.
AGRA programme officer in Niger state, Mr. Godswill Aguyi said the meeting was a fall out of the earlier interactive session they had with policy makers and soil fertility management experts in the state.
The observed that the world is now going organic and as such there was need to meet with the relevant stakeholders to promote the use of organic fertilizer for sustainable farming which is a major component of our Agricultural activities.
He said the meeting was to cross-fertilize ideas on how to create a business model for the use and commercialization of organic fertilizer in the state, expressing happiness that even the local manufacturers were beginning to adopt the production and use of the organic fertilizer.
He said the major task before them now was to see farmers in the state adopting the use of the organic fertilizer for sustainable farming to strive, hoping that using the natural process was better than the dependant on the inorganic fertilizer.
The AGRA programme officer observed that the Niger state government green economy initiative was a step in the right direction and that with the effort of AGRA, the state government and other relevant stakeholders farmers will adopt the initiative in no distance time.
On his part, the President of the National Association of Nigeria Traders, Dr Ken Ukaoha said Niger state was lucky to have embrace the initiative of the organic fertilizer, as according to him the survey carried out showed that the state was leading other states of the Federation in soil toxicity due to damages done to the soil through the use of inorganic fertilizer.
He observed that the crusade on the use of organic fertilizer will guarantee sustainable farming with safe environment that will guarantee food security and improve healthy living.
Dr. Ken said the business linkages meeting was to mainstream how the organic fertilizer will enter into the market and remain sustainable in terms of production, availability and commercializatio, saying he was happy that government had come into the initiative and urged it work the talk to promote the use of the bio-fertilizer.
He said if we go organic, the cost of importing chemicalised fertilizer will be save, jobs opportunities will be created for the youths and women, am will also promote the production of healthy farm produce.
Dr. Nafiu Adewale, the monitoring and evaluation officer for NPFS, under Niger consortium said the due to the high cost of synthetic fertilizer there was need to look inward and use something that is more affordable and we can get it locally.
He said the use of bio-fertilizer will ensure food security and ensure safe food and environment, adding that it was the reason for bringing stakeholders across the value chain of the organic fertilizer production and distribution to discuss on how to make it commercialized.
The monitoring and evaluation officer said from the study they took, there was need to make the environment conducive for investors to come in to ensure available of the organic fertilizer in the market, which was why they were engaging critical stakeholders, appreciating AGRA for providing such platform towards sustainable farming and food security.
