The Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), on Sunday, called on the Federal Government to ban the importation of Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium (NPK) fertilisers because it was costing the nation grave loses.
The President of the Association, Mr Thomas Etuh, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the nation could save up to N720 billion, 1.2 billion dollars in foreign exchange and thousands of jobs if it banned the importation of NPK fertilisers.
Etuh said that the nation already had the capacity to produce up to four million tons of the product in each farming season, adding that highest ever quantity to have been utilised by Nigerian farmers was 1.5 million tons as the rest were exported.
Etuh added that apart from the production capacity, Nigerian farmers preferred the Nigerian made NPK fertiliser because a lot of research was put into it to make it Nigerian-soil specific.
“The association is working for the government to ban the importation of NPK fertiliser because it makes no sense to import the product when we basically have the capacity to produce up to 4 million tons.
“Right now, farmers can compare what is being produced here in the country and what is being imported but they still go for the Nigerian product because what we are producing today is specific to the soil requirements in the country.
“We have written as an association to Mr. President, and he has graciously set up a committee to look into that.
“We have made all our submissions so we are waiting for the final decision,” he said. (NAN)
