Gombe farmers want govt’s subsidised fertilisers distributed
Some farmers in Gombe State have decried delay in the distribution of subsidised fertilisers, 22 days after the commodity was flagged-off for sale by Gov. Inuwa Yahaya.
Supreme news reports that Yahaya, on June 26, launched the sales of subsidised fertilisers for the 2025 wet farming season.
At the flag off, the governor stated that the state government procured 10,000 tonnes, equivalent to 200,000 bags of NPK 20:10:10 fertilisers, announcing that they would be sold to farmers at a subsidised rate of N27,000 per bag.
Speaking to newsmen in Gombe on Saturday, farmers from Akko, Yamaltu Deba, Billiri, Nafada, Funakaye, Kwami Local Government Areas said they were yet to access the commodity.
Malam Abdullahi Sunusi, a farmer from Auwaru in Akko LGA, said he was forced to abandon the cultivation of fertiliser-dependent crops like maize and rice because he could not access government’s fertilisers.
Sunusi said: “With the high cost of fertilisers in the market, farmers in rural areas cannot cultivate the usual farmland without support.
“It is frustrating that as at July, farmers are yet to get any support from the state government, in spite of the commodity being flagged off by Gov. Yahaya, three weeks ago,” he lamented.
Zakari Hinna, the head of farmers in Hinna community in Yamaltu/Deba LGA, said farmers in his community were yet to access the commodity for purchase.
Hinna said, with the rising cost of fertilisers, it was increasingly becoming difficult for smallholder farmers, who depended solely on farming to carry out their routine work.
He urged the relevant authorities to expedite actions towards distributing the commodity, so that farmers in the state could get the support in line with the intention for which the support was given by the governor.
The farmer said that the high cost of fertilisers would impact negatively on food security effort of government, hence, urged the government to support farmers to boost food security and facilitate self-sufficiency.
Mr Abubakar Babayo, the head of farmers from Difa community in Yamaltu Deba LGA, said over 50 per cent of farmers in his community had abandoned the cultivation of rice and maize due to high cost of fertilisers.
Babayo said cultivating rice and maize was no longer sustainable, however, observed that such may result in dire consequences for Nigeria and food security efforts of government.
“Since we have not received fertilisers in spite of the flag off three weeks back, coupled with the impact of climate change, many have abandoned rice and maize because they can not afford fertilisers,” he revealed.
Mrs Maria Joshua, a farmer from Popandi Tal, in Billiri LGA said with the inconsistency being experienced in rainfall pattern, any delay in fertiliser distribution would result in losses for farmers.
Joshua said the late distribution of fertilisers would affect farmers who cultivated crops that required fertilisers and depended on the government’s fertilisers for their farm needs.
She appealed to Gombe state government to address the delay, stressing that cost of fertilisers was now above what most rural farmers could afford.
Others who spoke to newsmen expressed similar concerns, lamenting that the delay would affect harvest in this year’s wet farming season.
Reacting to the complaints, Mr Barnabas Malle, the Gombe State Commissioner of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperative Society, urged farmers to be patient, noting that the delay was being addressed as directed by the governor.
Malle attributed the delay to transportation issues in view of the large quantity of the commodity procured this year.
He said the process of taking the fertilisers out from the store was slow, but noted that the issues were being addressed, so that farmers could access the commodity for use.
“Each LGA will get between 22 and 25 trucks, but as at Thursday, some had gotten two to four trucks; so the process of taking it out is a bit slow,” he said.
