The Adamawa State Standing Committee on Food Security held a follow-up meeting with the leadership of the State’s Agro-Input Dealers Association, on the issue of quality standardization for Agro-inputs on Wednesday, 11th September, 2024. The meeting was to primarily appraise the agro-input dealers on the State Government’s intention to develop a mechanism to reduce incidences of marketing substandard agro-inputs by some marketers to unsuspecting members of the public.
The chairman of the Food Security Committee, Dr. Dishi Khobe in his remarks sequenced activities to be undertaken by the Committee to ensure availability of quality agro-inputs and seeds to farmers in the State.
He stated that, this is in tandem with the vision of His Excellency, Rt Hon Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, to provide agro-input support to farmers. He also highlighted that, the government is willing to engage with agro-dealers to provide input to agricultural sector. He further stated that, this will be done either through direct purchase of agro-input from recognised and credible agro-input dealers or through public-private partnership agreement.
He said that, government’s patronage of local agro-dealers will be hinged on the guarantee of quality products through periodic sampling of products marketed in the State and a laboratory confirmation of the quality of these inputs through laboratory processes.
Dr. Dishi Khobe stated that, that is why Adamawa State Government reached out to the Modibbo Adama University, Yola and Adamawa State University, Mubi to assess their state of preparedness to undertake this responsibility.
Furthermore, having confirmed their state of preparedness, Government will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to carry out random sampling of agro-inputs for quality assurance and the sampling; assessment process and results obtained would be carried out across the State; all parties would be carried along in the process and results collectively discussed. Remedial measures would be carried out to minimise the ugly development of agro-input adulteration.
Responding, the Chairman of the State Agro-Dealers Association, Hon. Amos Drambi welcomed this development and assured the Committee that the information would be passed onto their members. He agreed that, the issue is not a practice in the State but imported from locations outside the State where bulk of importers add up other substances before packaging them and transporting these adulterated ago-inputs to retailers in the State.
He also said that, all the related agro-inputs can be traced to the originating sources, and the parent companies will be informed as this will help stamp-out these sharp practices. He also advised that, to proceed with the exercise, the Committee needs to undertake the following:
i. Organise a stakeholders meeting.
The meeting should include major agro-input marketers in the State.
ii. Work with the agro-dealers association to develop standards for agro-dealer and retail shop, and registration for agro-dealers and their shops.
The Committee finally thanked the Chairman of the State Agro-Dealers Association and promised that the Committee will be in contact with him as it proceeds on the assignment.