Hassan a Karofi
18 July 2008
Kano — Farmers in Kano State are yet to take delivery of fertilizer allocation from the state ministry of agriculture many months after sale of the commodity was launched by Governor Ibrahim Shekarau.
The state government has procured 17,000 tonnes of assorted fertilizer and ordered that it be sold at the cost of N1000 per bag, an order that is yet to be carried out by the ministry despite the directive for immediate sale by the state governor.
Investigations at the state agriculture ministry showed that only privileged allocations to politicians, businessmen and other classified categories are currently being carried out.
Further investigations showed that allocations of the commodity to registered farmers is expected to start next week with zone one comprising of Kura, Makoda, Tudun Wada, Kiru, Rogo and many other council areas.
Only 1745 registered farmers with the state AFAN are expected to enjoy the subsidised commodity from the zone regarded as the food basket of the state.
Efforts to contact the state agriculture commissioner, Alhaji Suleiman Shanono, to know why the distribution is yet to start failed as he was said to be indisposed due to failing health, while his permanent secretary and the director agricultural services were all said to be in a meeting and could therefore, not be able to see our reporter.
However, care-taker chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Alhaji Lawal Tudunwada, confirmed that the fertilizer distribution is yet to commence.
But he said the delay was as a result of the ongoing efforts to ensure that only genuine farmers are given the commodity, "unlike what obtained before"
"Previously, there were cases of fraud, where genuine farmers were not given the commodity, and that is why we are taking precautionary measures to ensure the past mistakes are not repeated", he said.
The chairman also disclosed that AFAN, which is responsible for the collection and distribution of fertilizer to the farmers, has refused to be dragged into the collection and distribution of privileged allocation.
He disclosed that the care-taker committee is currently discussing with the ministry on modalities for the distribution of the commodity with a view to ensuring that the farmers are allocated the commodity in time.
Tudunwada, who also attributed the delay in the distribution of the commodity to bureaucratic bottlenecks, said the association is hoping that farmers in the state will be given the commodity in earnest.
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