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| Sonny Tyoden launching Fertilizer Sales for 2020 |
The Plateau State Government has
announced that Special Forces and Agro-Rangers are to protect farms in Plateau
State. This notice was made during the kick-off of the sale of fertilizer and
other farm inputs to farmers in the state for year, 2020. The event was held at
the Plateau State Ministry of Agriculture’s Warehouse along Bukuru Expressway
in Jos South.
The Plateau State Deputy Governor,
Professor Sonny Tyoden, who represented Governor Lalong noted that this year,
the state awarded a contract for the purchase of sixty thousand bags of 50kg
NPK 20.10.10, 45,000 bags of 50kg of Urea, 30 metric tons of maize, 15 metric
tons of rice seeds, 7.5 metric tons of cotton seeds and 5250 litres of growth
boosters. He gave prices as follows:
1. NPK
20:10: 10 at N5000 per bag of 50kg.
2. Urea
at N15000 per bag of 50kg.
3. Growth
boosters at N40, 000 per litre.
4. Maize
seed at N428 and N1605 per 2 kg for different varieties.
5. Rice
seed at N6500 per 25kg bag.
6. Arewa
cotton seed at N4200.
Farmers wishing to purchase any of
the inputs are to go to the nearest store in their respective local governments,
get allocation papers and pay the equivalent to of what they are purchasing to
an agent of Staling Bank at the location. The evidence of payment is then
presented to the store keepers who then supply the product.
The governor noted that committees
have been assigned to monitor the sales to ensure transparency, warning
seriously against any diversion, as there will be dire consequences in cases of
violations of the procedures the authorities have outlined.
According to the governor, the
administration is working hard to encourage the use of tractors. Currently, the
use of tractors in the state is at a dismal ratio of 0.2 tractors per 1000
hectares as against the global standard of 22 tractors per 1000 hectares. His
government, he says, is providing a combined subsidy of 40% –30% from the state
government and 10% from the local governments – for any farmer wishing to own a
tractor.
In March, the authorities procured
1500 irrigation pumps for the purpose of boosting dry-season farming. He referred
to the cooperation of his regime with the Lake Chard Research and the Potato
Research Institutes that led to the growth of wheat and barley which weren’t
grown in the state previously.
Due to the potential of the grazing
reserves in the Southern Zone of the state, the state has been enlisted in the
Livestock Resilient Support Project of the World Bank. He also encouraged
farmers to join cooperative groups to benefit from a range of loan facilities
the Federal The government makes possible through the Central Bank.
The state government, determined to
encourage large-scaled agricultural practice, is reacquiring 90% of the
ownership of Barc Farms, with the intention of handing it over to a private
body with the capacity to use it in large-scale farming efficiently.
The event was hosted by the State
Commissioner of Agriculture, Dr Hosea Finangwai with support from his colleague
at the Information Ministry, Dan Manjang. There was also the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da
Jacob Gyang Buba, who called the government’s attention to the issue of
security in farms. Also in attendance was the Chairman of the State Association
of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, and the chairman of the host local
government area.
Dr Finangwai noted that the sale
started slightly later than it used to due to bottlenecks caused by the
incidence of the coronavirus disease. For the same reason, there were a handful
of farmers in attendance at the launch. At fertilizer distribution centres, he
says, there will be hand-washing/disinfecting facilities, decongestion and
insistence on the use of face masks.
Dr Finangwai voiced his gratitude
to the Association of Nigerian Governors, headed by the Plateau State Governor,
for their decision to exempt farmers from the lockdown due to the critical
nature of their work. According to him, the exemption brought about a reduction
in post-harvest losses of perishable farm produce.
Finangwai praised the governor for
counterpart funding he has paid to support the Potato Value Chain Program, the
Rural Access and Marketing Program (RAAMP). The commissioner further thanked
the governor for his unbowed support to improve the process of farm inputs
sourcing and sharing for the farmers and the revival of Agricultural Services
and Training Centre, ASTC.
The ALGON Chairman announced that,
at their own levels, they will be replicating what the state government is
doing to help farmers. During the occasion, the chairman of the host local
government, Jos South, unveiled a huge painting of the governor.
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