Bauchi State Fertilizer Company (BSFC) has produced enough dertilizer for dry season farmers in the state and other neighboring states at a subsidized rate of N8,500 per bag.
The Chairman of the Company Alhaji Bappah Aliyu Misau stated this today when he interacted with reporters at the premises of the company in Bauchi.
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He said the political will and commitment of Governor Bala Mohammed to revive the hitherto moribund BSFC with the strategic injection of funds and other sound fiscal and operational policies is giving a new lease of life for the input of the company and farmers in the state.
The chairman said when the governor came in, some of the facilities were non-functional, the machinery idle and unused and hundreds of the company’s workers were demoralized.
He however said with the governor’s intervention, the Federal Government asked the state to pay the sum of over 700mn loan that they supplied raw materials for the production of fertilizer.
He said the governor showed the necessary political will to bring back the company as it is now performing because he settled the loan and he raised production capital for the company.
The chairman said presently, the BSFC plant works in three shifts of six hours each, producing between 10 and 12 trucks of fertilizer per day, with each trucks carrying 600 bags of the commodity.
The company produces NPK 20:10:10, a suitable fertilizer for Nigeria’s soil mix comprised Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP), Muriate of Potash (MOP), Urea and Limestone granules with the last two components sources locally. They also produced NPK 15-15-15 and NPK 23-5-5.
Chairman said they engage over 200 adhoc staffers who received between 60,000 and 80,000 monthly and they paid their salaries on 20th every month and the staff are well motivated.
Bappah said during rainy season, the state government purchased 130 trucks which was stored in all the 20 local government areas warehouses under Bauchi State Agricultural Supply Company (BASAC) so that farmers bought the commodity at their door steps.
He said they are in talks with Gombe and Adamawa state governments so that the company will produce fertilizer for them to use during dry season farming.
Chairman said people from neighbouring states like Jigawa, Gombe, Plateau, Adamawa, Taraba and Yobe states, some farmers in the neighboring states purchased the commodity in the government shops in the local government areas nearest to them.
Bappah said the importance of fertilizer in the overall agricultural value chain cannot be overemphasized, it is needed to replenish lost nutrients and ensure that plants have the food they need to flourish.
He explained that “there are six primary nutrients that plants require. Plants get the first three-carbon, hydrogen and oxygen-from air and water. The other three are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
“Commercial nutrient mixes also come in dozens of different ratios (nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium – or NPK -, which different plants require in different amounts.)the secondary nutrients are calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.
“Nitrogen helps plants make the proteins they need to produce new tissues. Phosphorus stimulates root growth, helps the plant set buds and flowers, improves vitality and increases seed size. It does this by helping transfer energy from one part of the plant to another.
“Potassium improves overall vigour of the plant. It helps plants make carbohydrates and provides disease resistance.”
When asked about the high cost of the commodity, the Chairman said “we have to get profit as a company, remember the Federal Government removed subsidy on fertilizer and the commodity is sold at the market at 9,500. Some state governors purchased only 10 or 20 trucks and launched the farming season and sell the commodity at N6,500 just to celebrate.
“After celebration, you will not see the commodity again. But ours is genuine and we put it to compete with the real market price, we sold it to the government at N8,500 and government is selling it to its farmers at N8,000. Thats the governor’s choice, but as a company ours is to make profit”
