Buhari hailed for sustaining ban on fertiliser importation

Thomas Etuh, president of the Fertilizer Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the ban placed on the importation of fertiliser and some staple food items into Nigeria.

On Thursday, Buhari directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) not to provide forex for the importation of food items or fertiliser.

He advised private businesses bent on food importation to source their foreign exchange independently, saying “use your money to compete with our farmers, instead of using foreign reserves to bring in compromised food items to divest the efforts of our farmers”.

“We have a lot of able-bodied young people willing to work and agriculture is the answer. We have a lot to do to support our farmers,” a statement by Garba Shehu, a presidential spokesman, quoted Buhari to have said.

In a statement, Etuh said the presidential pronouncement is a demonstration of the determination of Buhari to ensure self-sufficiency in food production.

He said Buhari has demonstrated uncommon commitment to the development of the agricultural sector in the country, and urged Nigerians to support the efforts towards making the country self-sufficient in food production.
“FEPSAN is grateful to the President for his uncommon commitment to Agriculture in general and the fertilizer industry in particular,” he said.

“His efforts towards growing capacity in this most critical sector of the Nigerian economy has continued to yield tremendous dividends, especially since the launching of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative in December 2016. Today 35 fertilizer plants are operating at full capacity across the country, employing hundreds of thousands of people directly and indirectly and supporting farmers with high quality fertilizer input.”

He added that the billions of naira that have been invested in the agricultural sector by Nigerians and other foreign investors bear strong testaments to the confidence the Private sector reposes on the capacity of President Buhari to steer Nigeria to enhanced local agricultural development, employment generation and food security.

“Mr. President, in his wisdom understands the importance of local capacity building in the overall economic development of our dear country. Against the possibilities of pressures from briefcase investors to pen up the country for the importation of all manner of food items and agro inputs, we at FEPSAN appreciate his unwavering commitment towards amplifying the gains so far recorded in banning the importation of fertilizer and other food items.

“He knows the importance of foreign exchange conservation and prioritization of local capacity building in the redistribution of income and we will continue to work with the Federal Government to ensure that the immense opportunities in the country’s agricultural sector are fully exploited for the good of the national economy.”