Audu Ogbeh: Agric Minister:

A committee member, Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI), Mr Thomas Etuh says five fertiliser blending plants will be revived by the end of August to complement the existing 11 resuscitated under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Etuh said this in Lagos on Wednesday during a facility tour of ENL terminal and Tak Logistics warehouses at Apapa and Tin Can Ports, where raw materials for fertiliser production under the PFI were being discharged.

He said that work to revamp the five fertiliser plants located in Benue, Edo, Zamfara, Plateau and Kano had neared completion.

Etuh, who is also the President, Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) said that the additional five plants when in use would bring to 16 the number of functional fertiliser plants operational in the country.

“Five plants will join in fertiliser production by the end of August and this is to ensure that fertiliser gets closer to the domain of agro dealers and farmers.

“Eleven plants located in eight states are already producing fertiliser and by August the number of functional plants will be put at 16.

“The Federal Government targets to have 20 fertiliser plants working by the end of this year,’’ Etuh said.

The FEPSAN president said that efforts were being made to accelerate the ongoing discharge of fertiliser blending materials (phosphate and potash) at the Lagos ports to ensure plants got delivery for production as soon as possible.

Etuh attributed the delay in the discharge of the materials to constant rainfall in Lagos.

Ankush Arora Executive Director, Tak Logistics, logistics company for the discharge of the fertiliser blending materials, assured that more machines and workers would be deployed to enable them discharge the materials.

“About six vessels berthed here in Apapa and Tin Can ports respectively and each of the vessels carries about 33,000 tonnes of phosphate and potash.

“The vessels are from Morocco and Spain.

“We are working hard to see that all these vessels are discharged within the next three weeks,’’ Onyebara said.

Kelvin Onyebara Managing Director, Tak Logistics said security agents had been deployed to the discharging terminals at the ports to ensure a 24-hour service.

Onyebara said that the company had resolved to put everything into use for a successful implementation Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) under the Buhari-led administration.

(NAN)