The Federal Government has cracked down on some fertilizer dealers and producers over the diversion and production of adulterated fertilizer in Kano State to ensure quality production of fertilizers and farm inputs which is geared toward achieving food and nutrition security.
The Assistant Chief Information Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Anthonia Eremah, disclosed that a team from the ministry led by the Director, Farm Input Support Services Department (FISSD), Mr. Kwaido Sanni, with members of the police and DSS, embarked on the sealing of illegal companies and other outfits in the state.
Eremah noted that the exercise took place in various local government areas, in fulfillment of the National Fertilizer Quality Control Regulations of 2020, section 43, Sub-section 1 of the Constitution, which empowered FISSD to move against adulteration and sharp practices in the fertilizer sub-sector.
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Sanni, on his own, hinted that the fertilizer control act required anyone doing fertilizer-related business to register with the FISSD and have the necessary facilities to operate in the sector.
He warned those engaged in the illegal business to stop or face the wrath of the law, while explaining that the reason behind the clampdown on the companies was that most of the fertilizer companies don’t want to carry out the process since they are not qualified.
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The Fertilizer Quality Control Officer (FISSD), Mr. Sunday Oke, noted that the clamp down exercise doesn’t only focus on the producers but also targets cases of diversion of government procured raw materials, saying there was a provision in the Act that specified that diversion of fertilizer is an offence.
“This is the reason we went to the market and saw cases of government Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) raw materials being sold in the open market, which are not supposed to be sold,” he said.
