Abuja – Prof. Victor Chude, the Chairman, National Fertiliser
Technical Committee, Ministry of Agriculture, says the Federal
Government has no plan of removing fertiliser subsidy now as alleged in
some media reports.
Chude said this in an interview with on the sidelines of the 2nd
Annual West African Fertiliser Stakeholders Forum in Abuja on Friday.
Some media reports had quoted Chief Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development, as saying that the government had
removed subsidy on fertiliser.
He said the subsidy would only be removed after the government had
met farmers` conditions of prompt availability and affordability of the
commodity.
“Government is not removing subsidy now.
“It would be removed at a fixed period on a condition that farmers
get the right fertiliser such as crop and soil specific fertiliser at
the right time, early enough before the rains and at a good price.
“Farmers must also have access to credit at single digit interest
rate at five per cent and the value to the produce, which is what the
Federal Government is working to achieve.
“Once these conditions are met, the subsidy will be removed.
“Farmers would not need the subsidy by then because they will have
access to the credit at affordable interest rate of five per cent
compared to 20-25 per cent that banks are currently giving.
“It is only when they have achieved this that subsidy can be removed, “ the chairman said.