Food Security: Fertiliser Producers Move to Boost Access to Farmers

James Emejo in Abuja

Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) yesterday assured Nigerian farmers of seamless supply of quality and affordable fertilisers in the 2025 farming season.

President of the association, Mr. Sadiq Kassim, said it was collaborating with government agencies and private sector stakeholders to ensure timely delivery and support for increased agricultural productivity, in line with the food security agenda of the current administration.

Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, Kassim also unveiled the industry’s value proposition for the year. 

He said the association was ready to boost the value of the country’s non-oil exports, which peaked at $5.456 billion in 2024.

Kassim said the association had the capacity to increase the contribution of urea/fertiliser from the 15.74 per cent in 2024, underscoring the pivotal role of agriculture in economic diversification efforts.

He stressed that as the 2025 farming season commenced in earnest, the fertiliser industry was working with key partners in government, putting measures in place to ensure a hitch free exercise.

He said, “The association is grateful for the immense support that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government continues to give to ensure that investments in the Industry thrive and, more importantly, farmers have timely access to affordable, quality fertilisers to boost productivity and ensure food security.

“The Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) is being strengthened to make it more efficient to meet the demand of manufacturers and blenders in Nigeria.”

Kassim added, “Arrangements have been made by PFI-NPK Ltd for the continuous supply of about 150,000 tons of MOP to begin arriving by the end of April; 100,000 tons of DAP to start arriving by May; and 150,000 tons of Granular Ammonium Sulphate (GAS) to start arriving by May as well.

“Blenders have put in request for raw materials to blend over one million tons of NPK. Historical figures of the past three years have been less than a million tonnes of NPK. This means that the industry is poised to push the consumption (fertiliser usage) forward in line with government’s agenda to double consumption in the next two years.”

He said PFI had been the main support for the industry, which had helped in catalysing local capacity to supply the production plants with critical raw materials, stressing that stock position to commence the farming season is at 400,000 tons of NPK.

He added that the raw materials in-country at various plants were about 80,000 tons DAP, 60,000 tons MOP, and 114,000 tons of GAS, adding that urea is produced locally so plants can be restocked in one week’s notice.

The FEPSAN president pointed out that to ensure value for money, the industry, working with research institutions, had made advances in developing special blends of fertilisers that were crop specific, soil specific, and cost effective to assure users of optimum results.

He said, “By identifying the nutrient requirement of the crop or the soil, blenders offer customised solutions to the market and follow up with special extension education to communities and the last mile.

“We assure Nigerians that there is no cause for alarm at all. The association has put adequate measures in place to ensure a hitch-free fertiliser season for 2025.”

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