By JIMOH BABATUNDE
The Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, has disclosed that the government is poised to ensure availability of good quality fertilizer products that conform to the provisions of existing legal and regulatory framework. He noted that some unscrupulous people in the fertilizer sub-sector have been ripping off farmers the benefits accruable to them for their investments.
The minister disclosed this while inaugurating the National Fertilizer Technical Committee (NFTC) in Abuja yesterday. He tasked members of the committee to work assiduously in ensuring that the draft Fertilizer bill at the National Assembly is passed into law.
Ogbeh disclosed that the committee members include scientists drawn from some Agricultural Research Institutes, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Fertilizer Industries and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development.
Chief Ogbeh explained that the resuscitation of the National Fertilizer Technical Committee (NFTC) which was set up in 1985 with the mandate to advise the government on technical and related matters had been afloat with irregular meetings which was last held in 2007.
The Minister stressed that the ministry is committed to implementing a regulatory system that would regularly capture and report the activities of quality control in fertilizer subsector, with an assurance to cub all negative activities such as outright adulteration, underweight of bags, misbranding and packaging of non fertilizer products as fertilizer among others ,that are not in the interest of Nigerian farmers.
Chief Ogbeh urged them to allow their wealth of experience to bear in serving the country and the ministry in particular.
In his response on behalf of other members of the committee, the Chairman, Prof. Victor Okechukwu Chude of the National Programme for Food Security, 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: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/fg-inaugurates-national-fertilizer-tech-cttee/
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