NAIDA Warms Members Against Adulterating Or Involvement Round-Tripping In Distribution Of Agro-Input In Nigeria
Nigeria Agro Input Dealers Association (NAIDA) has warned its members against adulterating or involvement in round-tripping in the distribution of agro-inputs in the country, saying they will deal with any members caught in this act.
The association stated this on Thursday during inauguration of its compliance monitoring team in Abuja.
President of NAIDA, Alhaji Kabir Umar Fara in his welcome address at the occasion said by the inauguration, 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 well-being and ensuring food security for all in the country.
According to him, “The inauguration of this team in all 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 fore the outcries by the public on the dubious attitudes of agro dealers particularly with regards to adulteration of agric inputs, round tripping of products especially fertilizer which for all intent & purposes is perhaps exaggerated.”
He said while he is not exonerating his members, he is also not saying that they are all devil. “As we all are aware, human beings all over the world are bound to always want to cut corners and that is why laws/punishments are established in statute books to address these behavioral patterns accordingly,” Fara said.
“It is on this note and recognizing that we have some of us that are culpable of these malpractices in the sales/distribution of agricultural inputs that this compliance monitoring team is being put in place in all the 36 States and FCT with a view to addressing the malpractice accordingly.”
He said that 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.
“I will like to use this opportunity to bring the attention of the Hon. Minister to an issue which is troubling/bugging our Association currently. This is the scarcity of Urea in the Nigerian markets caused by the stoppage of its distribution by the major producers namely; Indorama Petrochemicals, Notore, and Dangote Fertilizer companies. We would therefore appreciate the Hon. Minister’s quick/urgent intervention on this matter with a view to calling/encouraging these companies to start this critical/essential input to eradicate the scarcity in the Nigerian markets as soon as possible.”
He said that NAIDA is ready to work with relevant stakeholders at both the State and National levels to ensuring that good quality agricultural inputs are made available to farmers across the country.
“Our overall aim is to chart a course forward that ensures robust and sustainable sales and distribution of quality inputs to big and small holder farmers working in close collaboration with the Ministry, Security Agencies and other relevant stakeholders that will guarantee successful/enviable outcomes,” he said.
Also speaking, the National President of 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.
“What you are doing is to ensure that anybody who say he or she is a member is duty bound to keep to your rules, it is no longer an all comers affair. I congratulate you for taking this step.”
