FCT farmers lament delay in release of 6,800 bags of fertiliser

By Gabriel Ewepu, Abuja

Farmers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the auspices of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) FCT Chapter, have expressed concern over the alleged delay in the release of 6,800 bags of free fertiliser meant for the 2026 wet season farming.

The fertilisers were reportedly distributed under the National Agricultural Development Fund’s Renewed Hope Farm Input Support Programme (FISP).

Speaking with Vanguard, the Chairman of AFAN FCT Chapter, Dr Perpetual Okafor, said the farmers are becoming increasingly agitated as the farming season advances without access to the inputs.

According to her, the farmers submitted their names as beneficiaries, but the fertilisers have not been released despite several visits and calls to the FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat.

Okafor noted that the flag-off for the fertiliser distribution was held on June 15, 2026, and she visited the Department of Agri-services on June 17, 2026, but was told the Mandate Secretary was not available to sign the release.

She said she has made repeated calls and sent messages to the Mandate Secretary without success.

“It is very concerning that the fertilisers have not been released. The wet season farming will soon be over, and the fertilisers will no longer be useful to the farmers if not released on time,” she stated.

Dr Okafor disclosed that some farmers have resorted to buying fertilisers from the open market to continue their farming activities.

She gave an ultimatum to the Secretariat to release the fertilisers this week, warning that failure to do so may compel the farmers to take further action.

The FCT AFAN boss appealed to the relevant authorities to expedite the release of the 6,800 bags of fertiliser to enable the 1,700 beneficiary farmers to benefit from the programme as intended.

As of the time of filing this report, efforts to get a response from the FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat were unsuccessful.