Gombe govt distributed 4,000 tonnes of fertilisers to farmers – Official

Gombe govt distributed 4,000 tonnes of fertilisers to farmers – Official

The Gombe government says it has distributed 4,000 tonnes of fertilisers to farmers during the 2024 cropping season.

Mr Barnabas Malle, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperatives, stated this on Wednesday in Gombe, while reacting to the alleged diversion of the commodity.

He refused as “false” reports insinuating diversion of the commodity, adding that the fertilisers had been distributed to the farmers in June, in accordance with the directives of Gov. Inuwa Yahaya.

Malle said the state government procured 2,000 tonnes of fertilisers while the Federal Government allocated another 2,000 tonnes of the commodity to the state.

He said that some elements who were denied opportunity to divert the fertilisers resorted to spinning misleading information about the distribution exercise.

The commissioner said the state government set up a fertiliser distribution committee, whose membership included security personnel, to ensure transparency and guard against diversion of the commodity.

“The Federal Government allocated 2,000 tonnes of fertilisers and distributed to the farmers through cooperatives while those from the state government were sold to the beneficiaries at 50 per cent subsidy.

“The fertilisers were given to real farmers in the state and not to political farmers as alleged.

“There are political farmers and they were trying to get the fertilisers to enrich their pockets and since they couldn’t, that is why you are hearing this cry, ” he said.

Malle said the state government plans to extend similar gesture to dry season farmers to encourage productivity.

However, some farmers in Shongom, Kaltungo, Akko, Kwami, Billiri, Nafada, Yamaltu Deba and Gombe, alleged that they did not get the fertilisers.

Mr Ayuba Ali, a farmer in Billiri, said that he and other farmers in his community did not benefited from the fertilisers distribution exercise.

Also, Mrs Esther Bitrus, a rice grower, in Dadin Kowa community, said that she bought the fertilisers at N22,000 per bag in the market.

“I bought my fertilisers because I didn’t enjoy that of the federal and the state governments’. So, I made do with the one I could afford.

“It is not fair that the Federal Government will bring fertilisers for farmers and we don’t enjoy the gesture, especially now that farming has become too expensive for peasants like us,” she said.