The new fertilizer act will strengthen regulation says Agric Ministry

The Director of fertilizer department, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) Engr. Ohiara Jatto has commended President Mohammadu Buhari for his assent to National Fertilizer Quality Control Act saying it was now an effective legal document to enhance the sub sector against defaulters who are fond of selling fake input to farmers. He told Food Farm News in his officeTuesday this week.

The bill which had since been passed before the expiration of the 8th National Assembly was recently signed into law by Mr. President so as to ensure good governance of the sub sector to all the stakeholders especially farmers who have been complaining over the years of low productivity due to fake fertilizers in circulation.

Speaking on the improvement the act would bring into fertilizer sector of the economy and food security, Jatto said that his office would play a major role in enforcing the law toward ensuring quality fertilizers across the country.

He stated  that ‘’ the bill is enacted to regulate the fertilizer sector effectively as before now there are no laws backing whatever control on ground which has caused a lot of problem as when you get offenders, and you cannot persecute  because you don’t have enabling laws upon which you can persecute, and this has created a space free for all without any proper regulation and  in that wise the producers, importers , distributors and the farmers are at the mercy of some bad people who do whatever they like. Thank God with the enactment of the law now, there will be regulation, we now have listed offences and the corresponding penalties and all in all the idea is to protect the sub-sector, whereby the manufacturers, blenders, importers , distributors and the farmers are protected from the fake merchants’’

He pointed that section 19 of the Act  gives a conviction of five year jail terms without option of fine to any defaulter as stated in the below alphabetical order in section 18 as ‘’ a person who

(a) Manufactures, blends, imports or distributes fertilizers that is deficient in nutrient as being specified in the first schedule to this act

 (b) Manufactures, blends, imports or distributes unbranded and misbranded fertilizers

 (c) Imports, exports or distributes adulterated fertilizer

 (d) Offers for sale, fertilizer that is under weight

(e) Sells condemned fertilizer

 (f) Diversion of fertilizer

  (g) Flouts a stop sale order. All these above have commited an offense under this Act.

The National Fertilizer Quality (control) Act, 2019 is a bill for an Act to repeal the National Fertilizer Board Act Cap. N39, Laws of the Federal Nigeria, 2004, the fertilizer (control) Act Cap, F25, Laws of the Federal Nigeria, 2004, and enacts the National fertilizer Quality Control, 2019 to provide an improved regulatory framework from the manufacture, importation, sale and distribution of fertilizer in Nigeria; and for related matters. Enacted by the 8th National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as it was passed to the Senate on the 20^th of March, 2019 and to the House of Representatives on the 21^st May, 2019 as it was also signed by Mohammed Ataba Sani-Omolori Clerk to the National Assembly on the 19^th of September, 2019 and by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the 15^th day of September, 2019.