‘We want to change how farmers use fertiliser in Nigeria’

A fertiliser expert with the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) in Nigeria, Dr. Kofi Debrah, has said the organisation is poised to ensure that the right fertiliser is used in Nigeria. Dr. Debrah, who has worked for West Africa Fertilizer Programme before joining the IFDC and deployed to change the way fertilisers are used in […]

A fertiliser expert with the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) in Nigeria, Dr. Kofi Debrah, has said the organisation is poised to ensure that the right fertiliser is used in Nigeria.
Dr. Debrah, who has worked for West Africa Fertilizer Programme before joining the IFDC and deployed to change the way fertilisers are used in this country, noted that Nigeria commands interest by virtue of the population of farmers.
The Ghanaian pointed to a study conducted by IFDC three years ago on the quality of fertilizer in West Africa, where eight countries including Nigeria participated, saying the analysis and result showed that the higher quantity of adulterated products comes from Nigeria.
On the way fertilser is used in the country, the IFDC Nigeria boss said, “I know about the GES programme where fertiliser and seeds were subsidised for farmers but the weakness of that programme is that there was no parallel programme which teaches farmers how to use this fertilser. This is wrong because fertiliser is best when they are used at the right time, the right place, the right quantity. So if you have such programme which is not associated or accompanied by farmers’ training, then that’s wrong. That is what I come here to do.”
IFDC is also promoting the Urea Deep Placement (UDP) technology, which saves the use of urea because instead of just broadcasting and wasting 2/3 of every bag, this technology saves 2/3.
He said the technology increases yield to about 20-30 per cent.