A/Ibom farmers decry high cost of fertiliser

Farmers in Akwa Ibom have decried the high cost of fertiliser in the state.

The state chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Dennis Etong, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo.

Etong said that the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme introduced by the Federal Government in 2012 had made fertiliser available in the state, but farmers still complained of lack of money to buy the product.

According to him, a bag of fertiliser is sold for N3,150 in the state and farmers cannot afford the price.

Etong said the state government had always subsidised fertiliser, adding that in the previous years when a bag was sold for N6,000, it was subsidised and farmers were buying it for N1,800 per bag.

“Fertiliser is now available through the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme but farmers complain of lack of money to buy the commodity.

“We appealed to the state government to come to our aid and subsidise the input for farmers to boost food production in the state”, he said.