A GRIC
28
BUS
.in
focus
E-milil: ag@businessdayonline.(om Wednesday 31 October 2012
BUSINES5DAY: www.businessdayonline.com
Fertilizer dealers complain of delay in government's subsidy reimbursement Until some months ago. fllormerll , especially the smallholders had difficuhy gettin! fenili7.en al reuonable prices. Cornlpt government ornclals and middlemen made II so dirncuh for them to have access 10 the produci . The e -wallel syslem , which hilS removed government hands from ferlilher dlslrlblltlon. is one of the m01l1 succes$ful projects of Ihe cunenl adminislrarlon Bul .tak,eholdeu maintlloln Ihat the only way future govern,"cnl prolecl! can be so successful 15 for Ihe accredlted agro dealenr who nusted the governmenl enough 10 enroll for the .uhlldi.ed fertilizer ule. prolnmme 10 set Ihelr
OLUYINKA ALAWOOE ro dealers who parliciplled In the accelerated progr.mme f suhldlud
N
fertllh:er dlsburu~menl 10 farmers through Ihe electronic wallet S)'IIlem "ill
await reimbursement from thcf[ovemmenl, months .hl!!'
the programme ended An C'J:cculiyf' of one 01 Ih~ compilnies who spoke on grounds of IInonymlly SIt)'lllt is almo$llhn~e months
lind the company" yet to gel reimbursement from the sovernmcnl lun like Olher dealen . These agro dulers C'J:pecl Ihe money would ~ paid eventually, bUI 11f! conctmed aboul Ihe tyln5 down of capllallh;u would
~~
have been employed In other productlvc actlvilies. Edobong Akpablo. chief executiYe, VbionllgeAgrnlech
Fann, sayslOme dealers ha~ (hese fears of 80vernment's dehlYs in maldn!! paymenls and soopled out of sup pi yin!! fertili zers to farmers at subsidised rates during (he accelerated programme. In which farmers were Biven a few bags Ihey could buy Ihrough the e-walletlyStem Akpabio lilY' dolnl business with gOVf'rnmenl often puts businesses In a tlghI SJ)QI. a5 Ihe dealers who
~AKA MOMOH and
PETU1 OAOUKURE he tuue al IIIn8 cocoa trees has been of sreal concern 10 stakeholders In the Nigerian agriculture sectot. as the Irees produce fewer beans. AginS ~ tTee5 is • big problem because older lrees require regular chemical treaunenlloward offdlseases lucluding black pod lind swollen shoot. and protection ng.dusl paT1lSile., all of whk:h lite growing problems In Wesl Ind Cenlnli AlrIca. The depletlon of nutrienlS In Ihe soil on older plantltlons creates a nefti for Increased use of fertilizers In order to maintain production leV1!b. Mally finmendo not htwe Ihe de.;p pocket reqUired to fund these techniqut:$. For Chris Okafor ollhe In t"rnatiana! Inllitule of Tro pical Agricuillue ( IITA). the age ohhe uees ha5 crealed
T
money In 800<1 time, before II lIaTlS havin8 ad vern effects on their businesses lhey also nOle th.iIliI would also encourage commercial banb to fund agricultural relaled bu s lnenu Ih a l embark on proleels dri ven by 80vemmenl J)Qli cles lhe Ministry of "grleu Itlu e has regislered 11000111 5 million farmers wilhin Ihe IR ~ t one yeaT Ten meuages wele Sent to _hue re8i s lered farmers alloeallng 10 them the numbel of fellil l:r.e n they could huy Nrlwolk problems h~ pre~nted lome from gellinfl, the lell messages. Some of 111O~ who dJd not get the mell$llges ~re liven vouchers aher belol Identified by the lelloders of thetr associaliotu..
look credll raellilies from banks to supply feTllllzers would have 10 pay up the bank or pay higher intere!lt m'~
During Ihls prOgI3mme. launched at different times In each slate for II few weeks, a bag of feflillr.er that normally sells for N6,OOO 10 N6,SOO ~s sold for NJ,OOO 10 registered farmers In the country. With the e-_lIet system, a farmer geU! an alert on his phone allocating 10 him a cerlaln amount of fertilizer he can
buy al II subsidised rate. lie could then go 10 Ihe bank 10 make payment, and hl' Is given a llip. lle then lakes the slip toacuedlted apodealers who supply him the fenill7.er at al>oul half Ihe price ll1i. WIS lor a period of lome wteksln each Slate. Al\:cndes from the fedel'lli. "Ite and local government monitored Ihe procen . Though verifiCilion on Ihe ules Is onloing. the dealers are concerned thai Iheir capilal Is belnl tlcd
down. lhe programme also allowed agro dealers 10 know farmen In Ihelr localilies and to fr'gister Ihem on their own dalaba.e Wl1h Ibe mandate from some lenilir.cr producing eompllnle!lln the counlry. Ihe agro dellier! have Ihe ruponslbllilY of seiling fertlll:r.erl 10 only those who are proven to be farmers and 10 ensure Ihey do not buy more Ihan they IClually require 10 as nOI (0 resell to olher famlen at higher nut'S.
Replacing aging cocoa trees in South West a "wid" yield gap." "Nigerian fumen IIore relllcUtnt 10 repillce IIging trees because II can lake 10 )"!ars for soils to feCOV'e-r suffidenlly 10 be abko 10 mppor1 ~ plantinp. "slYs David Onyenweaku. an B4. yeu-old farmer. In Umuabla. Abta Sla.te. Okafor 18)"$ while Nigertllo has hlgh·yieldin& Vllf'Ielle!ll of cocoa trees, farmers aren ' l cuJthflllllng Ihem. lhe CocOIlo Research !mlltule of Nlgeta. also based In Ibldao. has reporled varieties that can yIekl up 102.000ldkigrammes II heclare (2.47 aOe!ll). while the IVeI1Ige level achi~ by farm!!rs is 4SO ldIognmunes R hectlre. But II relief hl5 come 10 falmen In South We", a .n ralegic con slderali"n In the transfOrmllollon of Ihe
cocoa seclor Involvin8 the use of improved genellc ,tocks (new!y releued CRINcl - 8 . W"CRI II lIybrlds lit FJ·Amll7.1,1n) and phased repllcemenl of old unproductive stocks \Vilh nrw blgh yieldlnl Slocks 101 • boosl recentJy at ()wena. neilr Akure In Ondo 5111o[e This WIIS during the offiellil nag. oIT III lhe ~ distrihulion of improved hybrid vllorietlel al cocoa pods to farmers in the South West 10 ph,"1 .nd increase their farm sizel.. Ta stop funher use 01 poor yielding and old varletle$ and systemallClilly replace Ihe tree Slocb In Nigeria. AkLnwwunl Adcsln~, rninlslCf of agriculture. In 110 speec h read on his behllolf by lulius Oct~rnl. South West rtgkKtal