Photos: FG Seals 4 Illegal Fertiliser Blending Plants in Kano, Seizes Truckload of Raw Materials
- The federal government has sealed no less than 4 fertiliser blender plants in Kano for not obtaining the license to operate
- The government revealed it will also be confiscating a truckload of adulterated fertiliser that has been seized
- according to the government, the objective of its task force is not to arrest people but to ensure people comply with the law
Kano, Kano - On Thursday, August 18, the federal government sealed four illegal fertiliser blending plants operating without a license in Kano state while confiscating a truckload of adulterated fertiliser.
During their inspection, legit.ng learnt that the government task force discovered that the plants, aside from blending without due authorisation, were mixing substandard components to produce adulterated fertiliser sold to farmers in Kano.
Source: UGC
Speaking on the inspection of the federal government task force team that led to the sealing of the unauthorised blending plants, the Director, Fertiliser Control Officer of the Farm Inputs Support Department of the ministry of agriculture, Oke Sunday, said the inspection is necessary to rid Nigerian markets of adulterated fertilisers as well as ensure that no firm produces fertiliser without government's approval.
Fertiliser blenders must abide with National Fertiliser Quality Control Act - FG
He explained, "There is a new law in town called the National Fertiliser Quality Control Act. There are a lot of things specified by the law, that for any individual to do business in the fertiliser sector, he must be registered with the Farm Inputs Support Department.
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"This is a market operation, we are not interested in arresting anybody, our interest is to make people to comply with the provisions of this act."
The Director also said that one of the critical farm input production is fertiliser, and the federal government will not tolerate any act sabotaging efforts to ensure food security in the country, adding that a truckload of adulterated fertiliser has been confiscated as evidence.
"We have sealed the defaulting shops, and in the process, we told them their offences and told them not to tamper with the evidence until we come back again.
The revealed that the task force found a number of fertilizer blending materials that were not meant to be sold and that defaulting marketers arrested in possession of illegal blending raw materials will face the appropriate wrath of the law upon completion of the investigation.
The sealed plants were Albarka Agor-Allied and Chemical Fertiliser and Nagarta Agro Fertiliser, both in Zara community of Kumbotso Local Government, Samu Alheri plant in Jido community of Dawakin Kudu Local Government and one other retail shop in Getso market of Gwarzo local government area of the state.
Defaulters claim unaware of law governor fertiliser blending in Nigeria
One of the marketers caught with fertiliser blending raw materials at' Yan-Kura market, Khalid Muhammad, confessed to selling it to individual retailers. However, said he is not aware of the implication of selling them in the market.
Commending the task force over the closure of unauthorised fertilizer plants, Fertilizer Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) secretary Gideon Negedu said it is the right step to "eradicate the Nigerian agro-market of substandard and adulterated fertilizers."
"Raw materials for fertilizer blending heavily discounted by President Muhammadu Buhari administration to support authorised producers and benefit Nigerian farmers should not to be diverted by unpatriotic elements," he added.
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Source: Legit.ng
