In line with the present administration’s determination to create wealth and employment, ensure food security and sustain livelihood in the country, the federal government has formally inaugurated the National Fertiliser Technical Committee (NFTC). The minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh who inaugurated the 11-member committee in Abuja yesterday recalled that the resuscitation of the National Fertiliser Technical Committee (NFTC) which was set up in 1985 with the mandate to advise the government on technical and related matters has been adrift with irregular meetings which was last held in 2007.
The committee which is to be chaired by Prof Victor Okechukwu Chude is expected to give advice on specifications for various forms of fertiliser; procedures and laboratories for sampling and analysis of fertilisers; packaging standards, labelling, handling and storage; market infrastructure and facilitation including appropriate dealer and retailer networks. Others include survey of fertiliser products currently in the Nigerian market; fertiliser quality control issues and consideration; correlation of soil nutrients maps, developed by the ministry and way forward on research for alternative sources of fertiliser raw materials among others.
The minister said “government was poised to ensure availability of good quality fertiliser products that conform to the provisions of existing legal and regulatory framework, noting that, some unscrupulous people in the fertiliser sub-sector have been ripping off farmers the benefits accruable to them for their investments.” Ogbeh stressed that the ministry is committed to implementing a regulatory system that would regularly capture and report the activities of quality control in fertiliser sub-sector, with an assurance to curb all negative activities such as outright adulteration, under-weight of bags, mis-branding and packaging of non-fertiliser products as fertiliser among others, that are not in the interest of Nigerian farmers.
The minister tasked members of the committee to work assiduously in ensuring that the draft Fertiliser Bill in the National Assembly is passed into law and urged them to allow their wealth of experience to bear in serving the country and the ministry in particular. Chairman of the committee, Prof Chude of the National Programme for Food Security in his response on behalf of other members of the committee, thanked the minister for the confidence and trust reposed in them and described the composition of the committee as well selected. He promised that his committee would commit all resources at their disposal to deliver on the mandates given to them.
Source: Leadership
