By Anthony Anyanwu
Farmers in Imo state has raised alarm over the shoddy manner which fertilizers meant to them are being distributed by the state government under the Supervised Agricultural credit loan to farmers. They claimed that despite the issuance of cheques ranging between N5million and below, that majority of the farmers could not lift the product because of stiff conditions which has been attached to it.
Part of it being that the original cheques of Access Bank which was released to farmers since June this year are now withdrawn at the state ministry of Agriculture for a smaller amount of money.
According to the report, farmers are now being re-directed to the state ministry of Agriculture where they are issued with new schedule at lower rates.
They claimed that the state government is releasing the fertilizers at N4,360 a bag even as the market price of the product is N3,800.
While alleging that the wife of the state governor has an interest of N1,000 in each of the bags, the farmers also alleged that the essence of the high cost placed on the product by the state government is to scare farmers so that it could be shifted to the Northern states for sales at huge profit.
But reacting to the scandal, the state Commission for Agriculture Mrs. Adaora Ijezie said that the allegations are unfounded and false.
According to the Commissioner, there are federal government subsidized fertilizers and that of state which apparently brought down the cost of the product drastically.
She said that the federal government subsidized the product to the tune of 25 percent and state 20 percent bringing the totality of the subsidy to 45 percent.
The Commissioner said that the essence of redirecting the farmers to the ministry and through the community Government Councils of the various communities is to identify genuine farmers.
“Our reason for them to go through the CGC is to identify true farmers for proper identifications for easy repayment of the loans. So that is why we asked for the return of the cheques so that the farmers will go through the CGC and those that are higher will go through their communities, that is why the bank wait for schedules”.
Mrs Ijezie, explained that what government is doing is to sale two bags of the product to each of the farmers in the state.
She maintained that those who are alleging fraud in the system are those contractors and racketeers who want to hoard the product with the sole aim of selling it at higher price to farmers.
Ijezie, appealed to the people of the state especially genuine farmers to remain calm as the product is sufficient for all genuine farmers in the state.
