Nigeria has the capacity to produce eight million metric tonnes of fertilizer every year. The Programme Lead for the African Fertiliser Initiative with the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC), Mr. Sebastian Nduva, made this known while speaking at the NPK Technical Working Group Validation Workshop in Abuja.
The expert said that Nigeria had the largest number of registered fertilizer blending plants in Africa and it’s close to being self-sufficient in NPK fertilizer production. “Nigeria has 70 registered fertilizer blending plants in the country. Unfortunately, due to the high cost of the major farm inputs among other factors, about 500,000 metric tonnes are demanded,” he said.
Nduva also mentioned that the high cost of fertilizers was due to the importation of 40 percent of raw materials used for fertilizer production. The local price of the farm input is influenced by global forces, currency devaluation, and conflicts in Eastern Europe, among other factors.
He said stakeholders are of the opinion that if the government can take advantage of local production, as well as an efficient and transparent system along the procurement and distribution of fertilizer, it will help reduce the cost for farmers.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement, Dr. Kingsley Uzoma, commended the IFDC for aligning with the government’s objective to enhance food security. Uzoma said with the data provided on the dashboard, the federal government can offer valuable guidance to potential investors in the fertilizer industry.
He suggested the need for the program to consider including fertilizer quality, saying the inclusion will provide a more comprehensive overview of the industry, benefiting both investors and government initiatives.
Also contributing, the President of Fertilizer Producers and Supplier Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), Malam Abubakar Kasim, recalled that President Bola Tinubu has rolled out plans to distribute fertilizers to farmers. The FEPSAN president also agreed that the fertilizer blending plants in the country have an installed capacity of eight million metric tonnes of NPK but have never produced beyond 2 million metric tonnes due to a lack of raw materials, foreign exchange, among other limitations.
“Nigeria has the ability to be self-sufficient in fertilizer production, and if they get government support, they can produce more than enough to even supply the whole of Africa,” Abubakar said. While they can assure of the availability of the farm input, there is a need to discuss with the government on measures to undertake in order to make fertilizer more affordable to people.
