The Vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, in less than one month flagged off two mega fertilizer plants in Nigeria, one in Onne, Rivers State and the latest in Edo.
Both of them were in addition to existing ones which have also raised their output capacities, but feelers from farmers show that the more the fertilizer plants are built, the more the scarcity or high price of the commodity rages.
With the recent commissioning of the Indorama plant in Onne, statistics show that with the plant and others even before the latest, Edo Plant, the price of the commodity ought to have crashed to the barest minimum, but that seems not ready to happen soon.
Besides, earlier in May this year, a new organic fertiliser plant was commissioned in Sokoto State.
Whereas some analysts accuse both old and new plant owners of deliberately producing below installed capacity, others say even though many may be producing at capacity, there is a cartel that drive the product exportation when local demands are yet to be met.
There are facts to believe that plant owners enjoy artificial scarcity in other to keep price high at the detriment of the nation’s quest for food sufficiency.
Only on Tuesday, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, inaugurated the Edo Fertilizer Plant and Chemical Company Limited, a public-private venture with capacity to produce about 60,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer per annum.
Accompanied by the ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh; and Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, Osinbajo commended the foresight of the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, for creating the enabling business environment which saw to the revitalization of the fertilizer plant which had been non-functional for about 14 years.
According to the vice President, at about 500 direct jobs have been created by the investment, and much more employment opportunities would result from the ancillary economic activities that would be generated by the fertilizer plant.
Governor Obaseki in his remarks noted that the commissioning of the fertilizer plant signified a milestone in his administration as the facility was never operated for a day after it was fraudulently launched by the opposition party about 14 years ago.
According to him, what the opposition could not do for nearly a decade, his government, with the support of Edo people, has done in only about nine months.
“The aim of revitalizing this plant is to make the state self-sufficient in food production and enable farmers get fertilizer at affordable prices. We in Edo State are determined to make food available in the country,” Obaseki averred.
