OCP Africa Fertilizers Nigeria Limited, OCP Group’s subsidiary dedicated to the African continent, and a world leader in the phosphate industry, has signed an agreement with three research institutes in Nigeria to support site and crop specific fertilizer formulations to enhancing soil fertility and improving farmers’ productivity.
The signing of the agreement was held in Abuja between OCP Africa Fertilizers Nigeria Limited (OCP Africa), the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) , the National Institute for Horticultural Research (NIHORT) and National Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR).
In his remarks, the Managing Director, OCP Africa Fertilizers Nigeria Ltd, Mohamed Hettiti thanked the Federal government for giving OCP Nigeria the chance to contribute to the growth of Agriculture in Nigeria.
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He emphasized the commitment of OCP Africa fertilizer Nigeria to the presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) while noting that OCP Nigeria is acting to bring specific responses to Nigerian agricultural challenges and provide impactful and sustainable solutions to Nigerian food systems.
He said Nigeria continues to spend about $500m annually on the Importation of palm oil and that Nigeria’s tomato value chain keeps suffering setbacks because of the shortage of supply against demand due to inadequate production by farmers.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Prof. Veronica Obatolu said, this agreement is not only a significant milestone in the three institutes but also a contribution to the country’s research to improve the nutrition and livelihood of Nigerians.
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The Executive Director of the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Dr. Abayomi Olaniyan, stated that, the agreement will help to improve and add value to tomato and palm oil production in the country.
Also speaking, Dr. Celestine Ikuenobe, the Executive Director of Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), said, the agreement will help to up the game of palm oil production in the country.
