Abuja: The National Economic Council has recommended a reduction in the cost of fertiliser and other farm inputs to boost the activities of farmers in Nigeria. Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, disclosed this to State House Correspondents at the end of Thursday’s meeting of the Council chaired by Vice President Kashim Shetima.
According to Voice of Nigeria, Governor Namadi emphasized that priority would be given to smallholder farmers in the distribution of farm implements to enhance their capacity. He presented a memo to the council regarding constraints affecting agricultural production and their potential to worsen the fragile food security system that the Nigerian government has been trying to address for the past two years.
Governor Namadi reiterated that the same memo was presented last week at the meeting of the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit steering committee, chaired by the Vice President. He highlighted the need for the government to optimize fertiliser costs, possibly by prioritizing the mandate given to the PFSCU to liberalize the fertiliser regime. Additionally, he called for the availability of smaller handheld implements for small-scale and subsistence farmers who are not immediately able to benefit from the tractor program.
The memo also urged the Chairman of NEC, the Vice President, to remind the President of his directive during the special NEC meeting held in June 2024. The directive involved NASENI ramping up production and seeking approval to fund the production of 50,000 to 100,000 pumps for distribution to the states on a needs basis.
Governor Namadi further stated that the Council resolved to tackle the challenges of high energy costs and fertiliser prices in the country. The Council instructed the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas) to engage with industry stakeholders to address the high cost and availability of gas domestically and to report back at the next Council meeting.