Dealers of fertilizer in Kano State yesterday appealed to the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, ensure immediate release of the fertilizers impounded by soldiers in Kogi State in order to end its scarcity in the Northern part of the country.


Chairman, Kano State Fertilizer Dealers Association, Alhaji Shu’aibu Akarami, said the recent seizure of the commodity has resulted into increase in its price in many states in the North.

His appeal came just as a senior official of Notore Chemical Industries, owners of the seized fertilizer, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondents in Abuja yesterday that 135 trucks of fertilizer worth N1.8 billion were still with the military in Lokoja. He said the company was expected to deliver at least 40 trucks daily to dealers across the country.

The source said the action of the security forces cost the company over N140 million daily. He said the company has made available to the military comprehensive details regarding the destinations of the products, including details of even the drivers but nothing has been done.

“We have millions of smallholder farmers all over the country, who are depending on this product to get good yield and if they don’t get it on time, it means danger of food security looms. Urea is not the only component in bomb making, what about petrol, and gasoline; are you going to ban them because of the insurgency?” the source asked.

Chairman, Kano State Fertilizer Dealers Association, Alhaji Shu’aibu Akarami, said before the seizure, a bag of fertilizer was sold for between N4,700 and N4,800 but now it is sold at N5,500 per bag.
He said: “Even at that, the commodity is scarce in most states in the North. Until government intervenes, farmers in the region will incur heavy losses this year.”

Akarami added that the fall of the naira against the dollar did not in any way affect the price of the commodity, therefore government should not allow the action of soldiers in Kogi to affect the price of fertilizer in the country.

He said the association was not against the army’s routine security checks but insisted that the soldiers should ensure immediate release of all trucks that underwent screening so that they could convey the fertilizer to the various destinations for onward sale to farmers.

Daily Trust reports that many truckloads of urea fertilizer belonging to the Notore Chemical Industries in Port-Harcourt are being detained at the Maigumeri Barracks in Lokoja, Kogi State.

A Notore official said the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who was at their production plant on Saturday last week, promised to take up the issue with the security agency but nothing has been done as the trucks were still been held in Lokoja.