Borno State Commissioner for Agriculture and natural resources Alhaji Usman Zannah has said that the state government plans to introduce a new fertiliser distribution system in 2013. He said in Maiduguri that the system was aimed at addressing the problems associated with distribution of the commodity.
?We are planning to unfold a new policy on the distribution of fertilisers, especially those at the grass roots level. The idea is to tackle the numerous problems associated with the fertiliser distribution, particularly this year,?? he said.
Zannah said that the government was disappointed with the numerous leakages associated with the distribution system in the past. “We discovered many leakages associated with the system, particularly at the local government level where the commodity is needed most.
“So what we are trying to do is to re-design the system so that we can block those leakages,?? the commissioner said.
According to him, only 60 per cent of the 10,000 tonnes of the fertiliser bought this year was distributed. We were unhappy with the large scale diversion of the commodity at the just concluded cropping season.
“We only distributed 60 per cent of the fertiliser when we realised the problem,?? he said.
Zannah added that the 40 per cent of the fertiliser would be distributed to dry season farmers in 2013, pending when a new distribution formula will be worked out. He said government also planned to create commodity markets in the state to avoid wastages.
“We are trying to source for markets either in Nigeria or outside for our farmers to sell their produce. Last year, our farmers produced large quantities of onions but could not dispose them easily,?? Zannah said.
“He said that the government intervened by buying the excess onions of up to N200 million, but that the problem persisted. The state government released N200 million to buy the excess onions. But the onions rotted away due to lack of market and storage facilities,?? Zannah said.
He said government was also looking at possibilities of securing storage facilities to assist farmers and prevent similar losses in future.
