…says fertiliser cost to drop by 50%
By Udesinanna Stephen
Following the donation of 33,000 metric tonnes of Potash from a Russian group, the Vice President (VP) Senator Kashim Shettima has said no vested interest attached to the donation, adding that efforts are targeted to reduce the cost of fertiliser by 50%.
Kashim said this lately during the Fertilisers Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) stakeholders’ meeting with the Federal Government concerning the Russia’s Uralchem Group and United Nations Partners donation, held in his office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
As obtained from the VP’s X handle @officialSKSM, he said, “No strings attached, no vested interest and the President will be happy if the price of fertilisers collapses by 50 percent after this exercise.”
“We have many challenges with food security in the country, we are however very lucky because the President is very empathetic and very passionate about achieving food sufficiency in the country.”
According to him, the administration focuses to serve Nigerians, adding that President Bola Tinubu aims to reduce the cost of fertilisers for Nigerians, which led to the declaration of a state of emergency in the food security sector by Tinubu.
In respect to the distribution of the donation, Shettima said, “There has to be transparency, equity and fairness in the distribution exercise for the reason that the end beneficiaries are the Nigerian farmers and their leadership is seated here.”