The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has accused the Kano State Ministry of Agriculture of allegedly misappropriating N400 million ($3.5 million) meant for the purchase of fertilizer.
The chairman of the association, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono, alleged that the amount was released by the state government for the purchase of urea fertilizer, but that for the past three years, no farmer has received the fertilizer from the ministry. He also alleged, "no large scale farmer receives fertiliser from government last year."
The state Commissioner of Agriculture, Alhaji Musa Sulaiman Shanono, denied the allegations, saying that the state government decided not to allocate the fertilizer to AFAN for onward distribution to farmers because of the lingering crisis that erupted in the association in 2006.Shanono, however, stated that a total of 3000 metric tonnes of Urea fertilizer equivalent to 60,000 bags had been distributed to various farmers in the state, adding that even in 2008, 400 tonnes of fertilizer has been distributed to irrigation farmers in Kano.
Daily Trust