AS the wet season farming commences, 1,700 farmers in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, under the auspices of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, FCT, Chapter, decried alleged non-release of 6,800 bags of free fertilisers by the FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat for the wet season farming.
Speaking, the Chairman, AFAN, FCT Chapter, Dr Perpetual Okafor said the farmers are seriously agitated by the alleged denial to access their fertilisers distributed to them under the National Agricultural Development Fund’s Renewed Hope Farm Input Support Programme, FISP, coordinated by the National Agricultural Development Fund, NADF.
Okafor said the farmers are after her and alleging that she had failed to give them their fertilizers after sending their names as beneficiaries, which she disclosed that she had several times called the management of FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat who are keeping the fertilisers after confirming that they have the fertilisers in their warehouse but are not responding to her calls and going to meet with them over the matter.
She also made it known that the farmers had earlier gone to the Secretariat to stage a protest over the delay of the release of the fertilizers.
She said: “The flag-off for the fertilizer distribution was on the 15th of June, 2026, while on the 17th of June, 2026 I was at the Department of Agri-services in the FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat for the fertilizers, and I was told the Mandate Secretary was not around to sign, and since then I have been going to there and nothing coming out of it.
“It is very uncalled for and unfair to treat farmers like this. The wet season farming will soon be over and what will the use of the fertilizers mean for the farmers when the wet season is over. They are not ready to release the fertilizer for me.
“Some of our farmers in FCT are going to the open market to buy measures of fertilizer so they can produce food while they have fertilisers but the Secretariat has failed to release them.
“I strongly demand that the fertilisers are released to me so I can distribute them to the farmers. Our own fertilizer bags are 6,800 because there are four bags of fertilizer per farmer, and in FCT there are 1,700 farmers, so it amounted to 6,800 bags but unfortunately, they have not been given to us.
“I have made calls to the Mandate Secretary, he does not take my calls, even I have sent him a message on the 8th of July, 2026, telling him the pressure from farmers on my neck, which some farmers are thinking that I have conspired with government to make a way with the fertilizer.”
Meanwhile, FCT AFAN boss gave an ultimatum to the Secretariat to release the fertilisers this week, and if nothing is done she will lead the farmers to hit the streets of Abuja.
