The Delta State Government has distributed 9,000 bags of fertiliser to farmers’ associations to support food security and productivity in the state.
Secretary to the State Government, Dr Kingsley Emu, disclosed this at a meeting with the leadership of the farmers in Asaba.
The bags of fertilisers were distributed accordingly to farmers of oil palm (1,490), cassava (1,100), banana and plantains (350), maize (70), yam (120) and rice (150). Vegetables and greenhouse farmers received 200 bags, while independent farmers got 150 bags.
He appealed to the farmers to utilise the fertilisers judiciously to improve food production in the state.
According to him: “Last week we had a session with farmer associations on oil palm, maize, yam, cassava, banana and plantains, yam, rice and vegetables.
“We all agreed that of the 12,000 bags of fertilisers we received from the federal government, we set aside 3,000 bags for dry season farming, which is about to start.
“So we now have 9,000 bags for large, medium and small-scale farm holders. We are attacking food security and we are looking at the areas where we can get the mileage for quick food supply so meeting the association is a first step.
“There are a lot of people who are also not in the association but we have made a good move, which is 40 per cent of the 9, 000, which is 3,600 bags, to the association and that we did to encourage the association’s job.
“Where we are today is the distribution to all the associations and I have told them to emphasise areas of comparative advantage. Talking about yams, there are areas where we can produce more yams, etc. The distribution should reflect that in all the crops.
“We expect them to go to the warehouse to evacuate everything that belongs to them latest on Tuesday and we have set up a small committee comprising the Special Adviser on Agriculture and the Director of Crops and Livestock.
“In 2016, we were able to determine political farmers by sending farm input materials directly to the farms and we found out that many of them were political farmers. So we have the model and we are very convinced that the fertilisers will get to the real farmers to improve food production in the state.
“We advised the farmers to be their brother’s keepers by ensuring that the fertilisers get to the core farmers by taking the fertilisers to farms instead of the secondary market where they will be sold.”
Delta govt distributes fertilisers to farmers
