By Auwal Mohammed
Gombe (Nigeria) — Gombe State Government in northeast Nigeria says it has spent N2.7 billion for the procurement of 20,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer for the 2017 farming season to be distributed to farmers in the state.State Commissioner of Agriculture, Dahiru Buba Biri who announced this Sunday while speaking with journalists in Gombe, said that 3000 metric tonnes of NPK and 10, 000 metric tonnes of Urea have been stored for onward distribution to farmers in the state.
Biri said that it has become necessary to inform the public against the backdrop of allegations that government failed to put in place any arrangement to distribute fertilizer to farmers with the cropping season already underway.
“Government has made adequate arrangements as you can see from the fertilizers in our stores that would be distributed to farmers immediately,” he said.
He explained that the state government is facing challenges in the supply of particularly NPK from the federal government through 11 blending fertilizers across the country.
The commissioner explained further that so far only 3000 out of the 10, 000 metric tonnes of NPK have been supplied, with approval to lift additional 6 metric tonnes.
“We have already in stock the earmarked 10 metric tonnes of Urea but we have to delay the distribution until we have 60 percent of the required NPK,” he said.
He allayed the fears of farmers in the state that government would commence the distribution of the commodity immediately.
He explained further that government will subsidize fertilizer to farmers in the state following approval from Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo.