Benue Govt To Purchase, Subsidize Fertilizers, Tractors For 2018 Cropping Season
Loading ...From Msughshima Andrew, Makurdi
Benue State Executive Council has approved for the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources to source for vendors to supply assorted fertilizer to supplement locally produced fertilizer in Benue as the estimated requirement for the year 2018 will be significantly higher than our needs of 2017.
The Commissioner for Information in the state, Lawrence Onoja, jnr. disclosed this after the state executive council meeting held Friday, last week.
Onoja said for the year 2018, state government will supply fertilizer to farmers at the cost of N4000 each for 50kg bag of NPK, Uria, SSP and granulated organic fertilizer while farmers will also pay N2000 and N3500 each per a litre of liquid organic fertilizer and plant health promoter respectively before redemption.
He also said the council approved the sun of N388.4million for the payment of the subsidy component on fertilizer redeemed by farmers for the 2018 cropping season.
According to him, council has also directed the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resource to source and enter into agreement with potential vendors for the supply of fertilizers to enable farmers get in on time.
“The council also approved the procurement 50 units of tractors at the cost N13.9 million per tractor. The interested farmers will pay 40 per cent of the unit price of tractor before collection and government will pay 60 per cent subsidy per tractor.
The Benue State Government will issue an ISPO or bank guarantee and make the 60 per cent down payment to the vendors for the supply of the 50 units of the tractors.
He said the commissioner for Agric has been directed to search and enter into agreement with vendors to supply the approved unit of tractors.
