Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia
Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia has formally launched the distribution and sale of fertilizer to the Benue farmers in the state.
Performing the ceremony at the factory of the Benue Fertilizer and Chemicals Company, Industrial Layout Naka road, Makurdi on Wednesday, the governor disclosed that about nine thousand metric tons of fertilizer have been procured by the Benue State Government for sale and distribution to farmers for this year’s cropping season.
Governor Alia explained that the six hundred truck load of the fertilizers cost over sixteen billion naira but the State Government would pay fifty percent of the sum, while farmers would handle the remaining percent which amounts to twenty two thousand, five hundred naira per bag.
He further informed that the delay in the sale and distribution of fertilizer among other inputs was due to the sharp practices by some contractors for last year which called for investigation but assured that the full payment for the fertilizer would be made between the end of this month and October.
For the purpose of transparency and accountability, the governor noted that cashless payment policy has been introduced with the use of only POS in all the approved selling points even as no divisional agriculture officer is involved in the process.
The governor assured that sales and distribution of fertilizer would be done between April and June in subsequent years while that of the dry season farming would be in November and January every year.
He assured of continued support for soybean and rice production in compliance with the federal government’s national soybean expansion strategy as he believed that Benue remains Nigeria’s number one soybean producer and must retain its leadership position.
Speaking further, Governor Alia insisted that from December 2025, no raw oranges would leave Benue State as he expressed the belief that the new fruit processing factory would enable value addition and as well generate jobs even as similar processing initiatives would equally follow for other produce.
In his remarks, the Benue State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Benjamin Ashaver urged farmers to take advantage of the wet and dry season farming to adequately ensure food sufficiency.
Commenting, the Contractor and Chief Executive Officer of Star Fertilizer and Chemicals company, Julius Atorough told Benue farmers to be wary of where to buy their fertilizer to avoid the substandard products.
