Edo Fertilizer Plant ready for business, has enough stock for planting season – Govt

The Edo State Government has said that the Edo State Fertilizer and Chemical Company Limited (ESFCCL), Auchi, has produced enough fertilizer to serve farmers within the state and neighbouring states for the 2018 planting season.

In a statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Programme, Prince Joe Okogie, the state government said the plant, which is run in partnership with WACOT Limited, is currently selling NPK fertilizer to farmers in the state and calling on more farmers to patronize its products.

According to Okogie, “We are delighted to announce to farmers in the state that the Edo Fertilizer Plant in Auchi is not just up and running, but that its storehouse is filled with fertilizer ready for sale. So, we are calling on farmers, who are in need of fertilizer to head down to the plant in Auchi to make purchases.”

Okojie said that, aside selling to farmers, the plant will also supply fertilizer to the various agricultural initiatives being championed by the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration in its quest to ensure food security and boost employment generation.

“We have maintained a steady narrative on our quest to drive socio-economic growth through agricultural development. This is to ensure that we tap from the inherent job creating opportunities in agriculture to engage youths and attain food security. So, for the Fertilizer Plant in Auchi, some farmers are already visiting the facility to make purchases and we are glad the revamp of that plant has been a success story till date,” he said.

He added that the coming on stream of the plant will not only boost agricultural activities in the state, but also attract more investors in agribusiness to tap from the conducive climate and availability of essential inputs and other business-enablers for increased productivity and profitability.

He added, “We have a number of agricultural initiatives in the state that stand to benefit from the Plant. Already, the plant has engaged at least 500 people and with the increased agricultural activities it will spur, we will see more youths being engaged in farms, as middlemen or processors of agro-produce.”