FCT Farmers Get 50% Subsidy On Fertilizer
ABUJA, May 25, (THEWILL) - In order to boost food production in the Federal Capital Territory in the 2010 cropping season, the FCT Administration has announced a 50 percent subsidy on prices of all brands of fertilizer.
The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed made this announcement on Tuesday while flagging-off the 2010 farming season in Kuje, a suburb of Abuja.
According to him, with this announcement the prices are now as follow: - NPK N2, 100; Urea N2.100; SSP N1, 650 per 50 kilogramme respectively.
The Minister revealed that the FCT Administration has received 4,500 metric tonnes of assorted fertilizers to kick-start this farming season, out of a total of 12,450 metric tonnes engaged in the 2010 allocation.
Senator Mohammed assured that it is part of the FCT Administration’s statutory responsibility but that the subsidy granted is aimed at boosting food production.
The Minister said that his Administration has made concerted efforts to encourage irrigation farming in FCT to ensure an all-year round availability of food in the Territory.
He further revealed that part of such effort is the provision of 500 each of three inch and two-inch water pump machines being sold to farmers at 50 percent subsidy.
Senator Mohammed who was represented at the occasion by his Chief of Staff, Architect Baba Mohammed-Dadi, stated that the agriculture sector remains a veritable revenue source and a solution to the current over dependence on oil as the main stay of the Nigerian economy.
He assured that the FCT Administration will continue to develop specific projects that will increase revenue generation internally and externally especially as regards agricultural sub-sector.
The Minister disclosed that arrangement has been concluded by the FCT Administration to establish an international Fresh Produce Market that would process fresh produce both for internal market as well as for export to other parts of the World.
Senator Mohammed urged the FCT farmers to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by the government by making judicious use of these machinery as well as the inputs.
Speaking earlier, the FCT Secretary of the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Mallam Hamza Adamu Buwai noted that the agriculture sub-sector in the Federal Capital Territory still lead other sectors with over 85 percent of the active labour force depending upon it.
He remarked that the Secretariat has so far procured 5,000 litres of Agro-Chemical and 41 metric tonnes of improved seeds for sale to farmers at 25 percent subsidy.