By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
Farmers in Borno state have cried out for government intervention over the non availability of fertilizers in the state for the raining farming season.
They also expressed their fears over the state government’s inability to flag off sales and distribution of fertilizers at a subsidized rate as earlier done yearly in most states of the federation.
Unfortunately, this is happening at a time that over N1 billion has been budgeted and released for the said 2022 farming season fertilizers, which will be distributed to Borno farmers at subsidized rates.
The farmers, who are mostly from the southern part of the state, insist that as tradition demands, the timely sales and distribution of fertilizers by the government is long overdue, because most of their crops can no longer grow effectively.
Some small scale farmers like Amos Ali, Abdu Isa and Fali Adam, argued that, since governor Zulum came on board in 2019, their hope of getting fertilizer timely and at a subsidized rate has been dashed, as government no longer give priority to the agricultural sector, especially those at the grassroots.
Another farmer, who simply gave his name as Yusuf Inuwa, lamented that in January this year when Borno State Government flagged off the distribution of Agricultural inputs, such as irrigation machines to 500 dry season farmers in Monguno LGA of Northern Borno senatorial district, there was nothing of such that took place in southern Borno which constituted the heavy number of farmers.
A retired civil servant, now a farmer, who did not want his name mentioned, told our correspondent that, the agricultural sector under Zulum is only existing on the pages of newspapers, but in the real sense, the sector has been neglected.
Mohammed Kolo, a farmer from Damboa LGA in his reaction, said, “It is unfortunate, even hiring of tractors remained inaccessible to farmers in Southern Borno, due to refusal of the government to deploy tractors to the area during the cultivation period”.
“This is even as Borno State Government under the leadership of the former governor, Senator Kashim Shettima claimed the procurement of thousands of tractors, but were nowhere to be found.” He lamented.
Our correspondent observed that due to the situation, a bag of NPK of urea 50 kg which is also scarce, is sold at N20,000 to N24,000 at the open market depending on the location, compared to last year where the products were sold less than N10,000 per bag, making it very difficult for the reach of a common man.
Meanwhile, all efforts to get across to the Commissioner of Agriculture, Dr Bunu Mustapha, proved abortive as he did not pick up his calls even as a visit to his office at the Musa Usman Secretariat, Maiduguri by our reporter did not yield a positive result, because, he (commissioner) was not in the office at press time.
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