The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, says President Bola Tinubu may be very passionate about reducing the cost of fertiliser for Nigerian farmers to make sure the attainment of meals safety.
Mr Shettima said this at a stakeholders’ assembly with Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria, FEPSAN, and the Federal Government, held on the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday.
The stakeholders on the assembly additionally consists of the Minister of Agriculture, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, and the Minister of State for Agriculture, Sen. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi.
The assembly centered on the 33,000 metric tonnes of Potash donated to the Federal Government by Russia’s Uralchem Group and UN Partners.
Recall that over the last Russia-Africa Summit held in St. Petersburg, Russia, in July, the Federal Government delegation met with the management of Uralchem Group and the World Food Programme, WFP.
The assembly centred on the donation of a consignment of 33,000 metric tonnes of potash.
Mr Shettima stated “our goal is to serve the Nigerian people as President Tinubu is very passionate about reducing the cost of fertilisers for the Nigerian public.
“No strings attached, no vested interest and the President will be happy if the price of fertilisers collapses by 50 per cent after this exercise.”
The vice chairman said that Mr Tinubu provides excessive premium to attaining the agenda of meals safety within the nation.
“This accounts for the declaration of the state of emergency in food security sector by the Tinubu administration in July.
“We have many challenges with food security. However, we are lucky because President Tinubu is very empathetic and passionate about achieving food sufficiency in the country.”
He careworn on the seriousness connected to the donation and distribution of potash from Uralchem Group.
“There has to be transparency, equity and fairness in the distribution for the reason that the end beneficiaries are the Nigerian farmers and their leadership is seated here.”
Mr Shettima assured the stakeholders that “there will be transparency. We are going to use our own blenders and the beneficiaries have to be the Nigerian people.”
Mr Shettima stated NEMA, World Food Programme, WFP, and AFEX, a commodity alternate agency, have the info base and different necessities that can help the federal government in reaching out to farmers.
This, in accordance with him, will likely be carried out at the side of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security driving the method.
In attendance have been the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Ernest Umakhihe; Director-General of NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed, and President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Kabir Ibrahim.
Others are; President, Fertilisers Producers And Suppliers Association of Nigeria, FEPSAN, Sadiq Kassim; the Country Director of World Food Programme, Kucro Jawed, and representatives of National Sovereign Investment Authority, NSIA, and Associated Foreign Exchange, AFEX.
NAN
