Amidst efforts by the Federal Government to boost food production in the country, the Nigeria Agro-Input Dealers Association (NAIDA) has inaugurated the Compliance Monitoring Team to tackle the adulteration of farm inputs.
The task force team, spread across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has the responsibility of tackling the inherent problem of adulteration of farm inputs as well as curbing round-tripping.
President of NAIDA, Alhaji Kabir Umar Fara, while speaking during the inauguration, said that NAIDA is living up to its mission statement, which is to make quality agricultural inputs available, accessible, and affordable to farmers in Nigeria with a view to increasing their wellbeing and ensuring food security for all in the country.
According to him, “the inauguration of this team in the 36 States/FCT will no doubt facilitate and ultimately create an enabling environment for sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria.
“It is pertinent at this juncture to bring to the fore the outcries by the public on the dubious attitudes of agro dealers, particularly with regards to adulteration of agric inputs and round-tripping of products, especially fertiliser, which for all intents and purposes is perhaps exaggerated.”
He said that while he is not exonerating his members, he is also not saying that they are all devils. “As we are all aware, human beings all over the world are bound to always want to cut corners, and that is why laws and punishments are established in statute books to address these behavioural patterns accordingly,” Fara said.
Fara said the inauguration of the monitoring team across the country will no doubt reduce, if not stop, the atrocities being perpetrated by unscrupulous dealers within the association, promising that the association is ready to self-regulate itself.
He, however, raised concern over the scarcity of urea in the Nigerian markets due to the stoppage of its distribution by the major producers, including Indorama Petrochemicals, Notore, and Dangote Fertiliser companies.
Fara called for urgent intervention by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security with a view to encouraging the companies to start distribution of the critical input to eradicate the scarcity in markets as soon as possible.
Also speaking, the National President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Arc Kabir Ibrahim, congratulated members of NAIDA for taking up the challenge to self-regulate.
Ibrahim said, “I am glad that you are doing soul searching; you are looking at your membership; you are promoting integrity. That is the most important element in nation-building.”
