‘N776bn fertiliser subsidy lost to fraud in 30 years’

He said this during the inauguration of chairmen and board members of the 13 agencies and parastatals of the ministry in Abuja.“We found that only 11 percent of farmers got fertilisers bought and sold by government. Rich and powerful political elites siphoned off the fertiliser belonging to poor farmers,” he said.“Between 1980 and 2010, over […]

He said this during the inauguration of chairmen and board members of the 13 agencies and parastatals of the ministry in Abuja.
“We found that only 11 percent of farmers got fertilisers bought and sold by government. Rich and powerful political elites siphoned off the fertiliser belonging to poor farmers,” he said.
“Between 1980 and 2010, over N873 billion was spent on fertilizer subsidies. With only 11 percent of farmers getting the fertiliser, about N776 billion was siphoned off the system through corruption or an average of N26.3 billion, annually,” Adesina said.
The minister said the task facing the ministry was to transform the agricultural sector to a more transparent and global player in the world economy.
He said government was creating the enabling environment for private sector-led agricultural reforms.
“We have attracted $4 billion in executed letters of intent for investments. The country reforms have also attracted $2 billion from World Bank, African Development Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development to support its programmes,” he said.
Adesina told the board members that the country is transforming the horticultural subsector, lamenting that Nigeria is the second largest producer of citrus in the world but it still imports orange juice.
Also, the country is the largest producer of pineapples and mangoes in Africa yet it imports concentrates from South Africa.
On cocoa, the minister said.
He added that government was distributing 114 million seedlings of cocoa hybrids to small holder farmer free of charge, saying small holder cocoa farmers earned $900 million in foreign exchange in 2012.
He said government is working out key commodities value chain to create wealth for the people.
“Poverty is not synonymous to agriculture. Agriculture is for creating wealth.  The President is clear; he said ‘I don’t believe in poverty reduction, I believe in wealth creation’.
“Therefore using agriculture as an instrument for creating wealth is very important. It is important I say this to you,” he said.
Agency boards that were inaugurated by the minister include National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, chaired by Chief Oluwole Oludaisi Ania; National Lake Chad Research Institute, Maiduguri chaired by Yakubu Tsala; and the National Institute for Fresh water fisheries Research, New Bussa, chaired by Alhaji Armaya’u Abubakar.
Also inaugurated are the boards of the Nigeria Institute for Oil palm Research, Benin, chaired by Senator Lee Maebah; Bank of Agriculture, Kaduna, chaired by Ambassador Adamu Aliyu; National Horticultural Institute, Ibadan, chaired by Juliet Wayoka; Nigerian Agriculture Insurance Corporation, Abuja, chaired by Barrister Mrs Chioma Ohakim; and the Agricultural Research Development Council of Nigeria, Abuja, by Chief Olabode Mustapha.
Other boards inaugurated include those of the National Veterinary Research Institute, Jos with Dr Isaac Edoja as chairman; National Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research, Lagos with Alhaji Bello Gusau as chairman; Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan headed by Professor Francis A. Fadahunsi; National Cereals Research Institute, Badeggi with Igwe Ginger Ibeneme; and the National Animal Research Institute, Ibadan chaired by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan.