The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United
Nations (FAO) has appealed to the Nigerian Government to lift the ban of
fertilizer in the North-east region.
The federal government, in order to check the use
of fertilizer for making bombs, banned it sales and distribution in some parts
of the Northeast.
Speaking at the launch of the rainy season
programme for 2019 in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, the FAO
representative in Nigeria, Suffyan Koroma, lamented that the ban of fertilizer
has affected food production in the troubled region and subsequently the income
of the people.
Koroma appealed that NPK 15-15-15 should be allowed
to be distributed by the FAO to improve food production and increase income of
the people of the region.
He lamented that the ban on the transport of
fertilizer is affecting FAO’s distribution of this essential fertilizer.
The FAO representative revealed that since 2016,
FAO has supported farmers in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states with crop inputs in
a bid to boost food security and household nutrition in the region.
Koroma disclosed that in 2019, FAO is targeting
nearly 100,000 farmers for crop support during the rainy season, enabling food
availability for at least six to eight months.
He lamented that “however, our expectation on
yields has been dampened by the ban on fertilizer movement and distribution in
the three Northeast states.
“The rainy season is the most important period for
farmers and would have the greatest impact on their food security and
nutrition. For the fourth year, FAO is proud to provide direct support to the
production and income in the region.”
He said in 2019, FAO is seeking $32.4 million to
assist 1.3 million people whose livelihoods depend on agriculture. Of this
amount, only $3.4 million has been received so far. “Around two million people
are threatened by severe food insecurity if humanitarian efforts in the region
are not improved,” he added.
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