There is growing apprehensions over food security in Nigeria as a result of the devastating impacts of flooding of farmlands, climate change, activities of kidnappers, bandits and insurgences in most part of the country. SULAIMAN IDRIS writes that Dangote Fertiliser Limited is helping to avert the doomsday.
The ominous predictions of looming food crisis in Nigeria has become the sing song of both local and international agricultural bodies with many estimating that close to 14 million citizens could face food shortage within the next nine months. While the reasons for these are not far fetch, the concerns remain whether governments at different levels are doing anything or putting in place enough measure to prevent the predicted catastrophe.
Be that as it may, there appears to be a solution in sight, if pursued rigorously as against mere policy statements and lack of implementation of formulated policies by government agencies.
Dangote Fertiliser and Agriculture Initiatives to the rescue
One organisation that appears to have foreseen the crisis and is putting in place measures that would galvanise the citizenry into boost food production is the Dangote Fertiliser Limited’s initiative targeted mostly at the teeming youth population.Located in the heart-land of Lekki, the $2 billion fertiliser plant with capacity can produce three million tons of urea and ammonia annually, thus making it the largest in the world. The news of its planned entrance into the market this November is not only cheering but serves as impetus for government, farmers and others to kick start the dry season farming on a scale never seen before. At a recent interaction, the group executive director for strategy, capital projects and portfolio development of the company, Mr Davakumar Edwin told journalists that the company would not just produce for farmers, but committed to improving the yields from their harvest. According to him, “The company would assist farmers to determine which particular fertilizer product to apply to a particular soil type as our well equipped fertiliser soil testing laboratory would enable us.”
Encouraging gov’t moves
Giving credence to the important role the plant would play in food security and jobs creation, the minister of agriculture and rural development, Alhaji Muhammad Nanono, affirmed that the plant is strategic to the realisation of FG’s Agricultural Promotion Policy 2016-2020 which aims to ensure increase in agricultural production in order to meet the food needs of the population and as well accelerates progression from the predominant subsistence farming to commercial one. While making appeal for the company to offer assistance to FG in the mechanization and extension services for small scale farmers, the minister said with the support of Dangote Fertiliser, the mechanisation initiative will be a success across the 632 local government areas where it is billed to take place across the country.“It is very clear that Dangote would help in this programme of government. The capacity of Dangote Fertiliser is enough to change the way fertiliser is being used in this country. We are going to complement his efforts in this regard.”
Speaking further, he said, “We can only achieve the objective with enough fertiliser in the country and I am extremely proud of Aliko Dangote for what he is doing in the country.”To underscore the minister’s assertion that the government’s agric policies has been encapsulated by the plant, the company is investing massively in the sector in order to help generate employment.
Getting youth into agriculture
According to Edwin, Dangote Fertiliser Limited does not mince words in its efforts to attract and encourage Nigerian youths to pursue a career in agriculture. The company initiative to attract the youth into farming is loaded with incentives. “We started a farming scheme where we provided all necessary input for the successes of farmers. We imported seeds from Brazil and gave some farmers to cultivate. Someone who was getting just two tones from one hectare now gets six tones, the bank income double and now he can afford to make income and feed his family and take care of his family. Again, we went to advice them and I said I am bringing you a short term variety; you can go for two crops per year. They did it and now the man who was getting two tons before now gets 12 tons, he has adequate money and now has enough income to spend. Though he didn’t have the capital to pay in advance, so I gave them the seeds, fertilisers and pesticides and I said, I will buy back the product from you so that at least I will recover my money, though some of them reneged. Now, farmers are making money, people can go back to farming because many of them are becoming entrepreneurs,” he said.
Pilots schemes across Nigeria
Speaking further, Edwin said, “We have also started trying this on youths; I have started with the National Association of Oduduwa Students in Oyo. They have taken a trial land and they are working and happy and trying to expand. “In Ogun state, a very young member of the state House of Assembly approached me and said there were many youths who are unemployed and I told him our plan. Now, he is very happy and working with the governor to get a land. So, we are actually trying to change the scenario and once they see there is money in it, people would go for it. In agriculture, the potential is huge. We also started a rice farm in Katsina, I gave them the seed that yielded 10 tons per hectare which we just harvested last month. We developed seeds that are suitable for our climate, land and soil condition. For the fertiliser, we have set a mobile laboratory and done soil analysis where we found out the deficiencies. We would bring in a revolution, just the same pattern we used to attain food sufficiency in India by educating farmers through messages on radio and television. This can change the food situation in the country and the employment potentials are only imaginable.”
Government financial Incentives
If the words of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele is anything to go by, such a project deserves the special attention and support of government in order to achieve the set out objectives.During a tour of the facility, Emefiele said, “The CBN is ready to support any Nigerian or foreigner who identifies Nigeria as a good investment destination and whatever we can do to support, we would do. In the area of foreign exchange, to import raw materials and equipment in agriculture the Central Bank is ready to support.”The CBN boss noted further that “We thank Dangote, but Nigerians themselves must stand tall and be ready to come out and help their country especially now that we have low interest rates, with the things government is doing to increase employment levels, to get our industries back alive again and low interest regime we could never have it better than now.”Mr Emefiele is confident that the country will save it foreign exchange when the indigenous fertiliser plant begins full operations and makes Nigeria attain self sufficiency in demand. It is estimated that Nigeria will save $500 million per annum on fertilizer import while raking in additional $400 million from export to neigbhouring countries and beyond.
The man behind the scene
The man behind the revolution, Aliko Dangote himself is not resting on his oars as he is determined to ensure the exportation starts.“There is no reason why Nigeria should be importing fertiliser. I am happy that with what we have achieved with the plant, by the time we achieve full production capacity, the country would become self sufficient in fertiliser production and we would have the capacity to export the products to other African countries. Right now, farmers are forced to utilise whatever fertiliser that is available as they have no choice, but we need to know that the fertiliser that would work in Jigawa state may not be suitable for Adamawa state, as they may not have the same soil type and composition. The same fertiliser you use for sorghum may not be the fertiliser you will use for sugar cane.”The billionaire industrialist explained that “There is no way we can on an annual basis be able to import over one million tons of fertiliser through the ports. There are issues of capabilities of the ports and transportation and also capability of the ports. But where are the ports? Even where you have the ports where is the modern equipment for their operations? We don’t have a good network of roads for evacuation anytime you have two or three ships of fertilizer docking, transporters will capitalise on the situation and continually increase the freight charges. Most times, the fertiliser ship arrives late and out of season. With the Dangote fertiliser plant, all these distortions would be a thing of the past and our economy will boom.”
Stakeholders in the sector are optimistic that with such plant ready to roll out its products soon, the averred fear of looming food crisis would be averted. They urged government to make sure all hand on desk to support such private initiatives and formulate policies and programmes that will further encourage more investment in the agriculture sector.
