By Polycarp Auta

Farmers in Plateau state have accused politicians and government officials of diverting fertiliser provided by government at subsidised rates to boost farming in the state.

Some of the farmers, who made the allegations, said that the fertilisers provided by government usually end in the hands of few individuals.

In 2025, the Plateau government, under Gov. Caleb Mutfwang, procured 6,300 tonnes of assorted fertiliser for distribution to farmers for the farming season. 

This initiative, according to government, aims to boost food production and, as part of its larger agricultural drive.

The government had stated that over N3.6 billion invested in farming inputs, including a target of 40 bags of fertiliser per polling unit. 

This initiative is part of a broader strategy to strengthen food security and promote economic growth in the state

But Mr Samuel Maren, a potato farmer in Bokkos Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, described the intervention as "fraudulent".

He said that the subsidised fertilisers, meant for parents usually end in the hands of politicians, government officials and middlemen.

Maren, who said that most farmers in the state hardly benefit from the initiative, accused politicians of hijacking the product and selling at market price.

"Government is not sincere with the issue of subsidising fertiliser because those who benefit from the initiave are largely politicians and government officials.

"Political supporters and middlemen hijack the subsidise fertiliser and deny the real farmers access to the product.

"The government fertiliser doesn't get to the common farmer; the real farmers are suffering to access fertiliser and that's not good for the agricultural drive of the state government.

"In a nutshell, the fertiliser initiative is simply a political patronage, not a strategy to boost food security,"he said 

Monday Chinge, another farmer from Bassa LGA of the state, faulted the timing in which government provides fertiliser and other inputs to the farmers.

He particularly decried that aside the politicisation of the initiative, the timing for the availability of the subsidised inputs had always negates government's drive towards food sufficiency.

"Aside the politicisation of fertiliser and other basic inputs, they are largely accessible at the wrong time. 

"The timing of the provision of the basic inputs to farmers is wrong; at the proper time that farmers would need these inputs, they are not available.

"That is the where insincerity comes in, when government brings these inputs, no farmer will be willing to get them because they had probably bought it in the general market at higher rate and may not have the purchasing power to buy that of the government.

"Now, government officials, politicians or middlemen will buy the subsidised inputs, stock them and later sell to the same farmers at high rates.

"So, the essence of having subsidised fertiliser and other inputs is defeated,"he said.

On his part, Mr Japheth Philip, a public affairs commentator, also faulted the allocation of the subsidised fertiliser and other inputs via polling units.

He said that such move had presented the initiave as political rather than a move towards boosting farming activities in the state.

He called for proper registration of farmers across the state, insisting that such move would enable government supports get to the real farmers.

"Farmers should be registered into clusters, government should have the statistics of both commercial and subsistent farmers.

"That way, whenever an intervention comes, it will get to the real farmers and not those who sit in their offices and allocate these inputs to their cronies and family members,"he said  

But the Commissioner for Information and Communication in the state, Joyce Ramnap, said that the fertiliser initiative had over time yielded positive results.

 She explained that the Ministry of Agriculture, in its wisdom, had mapped the state to register farmers in a database.

Ramnap insisted that the farmers captured will be supported with farming inputs and fertiliser, especially at subsidised rates.

“The essence of this initiative is to ensure that Plateau farmers have direct access to subsidised fertilisers. 

"They will no longer have to purchase through third parties, which will help curb corruption and prevent diversion.

“Instead, the fertilisers will be distributed directly to farmers. For us on the Plateau, this is a step towards economic recovery.''