Borno opts out of GES, spends N1bn on fertilizer

[Mirror]

The Borno State government yesterday said it has opted out of the Gross Empowerment Scheme, GES, of the Federal Government's electronic fertilizer sales scheme due to lack of telecommunication facilities, which is a major component of the scheme.

The state government has also faulted the scheme, which it said has not given the state full control over the distribution of the products to farmers across the state.

The state said it has approved over N1billion for the procurement of 15, 000 metric tonnes of Urea and NKP fertilizer for this year's cropping season. Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon. Usman Zanna, disclosed this yesterday in an interview with journalists in Maiduguri, the state capital.

He said the need to accord top priority to agriculture in the state with a view to enhancing food supply can no-longer be over emphasized, considering its importance to the development of the human psyche.

Zanna said the need to opt out of the GES became necessary, as the state government did not fully benefit from it last year, because, apart from not fully monitoring and controlling the system, the programme was launched very late in the state, which hindered farmers in utilising the products.

In addition, he said the lack of telecommunication services and incessant network failure had made it difficult for the Federal Government and the end users to communicate on how to access the programme.

To this end, Zanna said the state government under Governor Kashim Shettima has approved N1billion for the procurement of 15 metric tonnes of fertilizer in addition to the existing ones at the store which will soon be distributed directly to the farmers across the 27 council areas of the state.

The commissioner noted that government attached more priority to the agricultural sector as it constituted about 70 per cent of the state's population, who are engaged in agriculture, and that last year, a bag of fertilizer was sold at 50 per cent subsidy, while NPK was only N2, 450; Urea N2, 253 and SSP N2, 145 per bag.

National Mirror

[Folami David]

Well one thing that is certain is that there is a lot of money in this country so it just depends on how we use it.