Diesel fuel scarcity: FG  to assist tractor owners, operators

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, has assured mechanised farmers all over Nigeria that the problem of diesel supply and pricing will be addressed to cushion the effects on farmers’ operations and avoid negative impact on food production in 2016.

Ogbeh expressed concern over the persistent hardship in farmers’ access to diesel fuel, which is currently sold for between N200 and N210 per litre. “This is happening during the planting season, preventing the people from using tractors and power tillers on the farms,” he bemoaned.

“The impact on production is quite severe,” he noted, adding that “this keeps happening every year as the planting season coincides with the shortage of diesel needed to operate our tractors. This is part of the issues making agricultural productivity in this country so uncertain.”Ogbeh said in a statement.

The minister has vowed to tackle this problem both on the short term and long term.  On the short term and in the immediate, he said, “we will appeal to the ministry of petroleum resources to help as soon as possible” in easing the tight supply situation. He disclosed that his ministry will meet  the dealers and refiners of petrol to find an immediate solution.

On the long term, however,  Ogbeh promised that “we will take a look at the production of jathropha seeds and oil processing to give farmers self-sufficiency in diesel production as an organic fuel (biodiesel).” This is expected to promote renewable energy, improve our environment and reduce expenses on importation.

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