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A review of fertilizer policy issues in Nigeria:

Author

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  • Liverpool-Tasie, Saweda
  • Olaniyan, Babatunde
  • Salau, Sheu
  • Sackey, James

Abstract

Low fertilizer use is professed to be among the many reasons for low agricultural productivity in Nigeria. Fertilizer application, estimated at 13 kg/ha in 2009 by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, is far lower than the 200 kg/ha recommended by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This report reviews the status of the fertilizer sector in Nigeria on the basis of a thorough overview of existing literature on Nigeria, reports on recent survey results, and analytic work conducted by IFPRI in Nigeria under the Global Food Security Response (GFSR) initiative of the USAID. It synthesizes the findings on key fertilizer issues in Nigeria, focusing on the demand and supply environment, the role played by subsidies, the regulatory environment, and the use of the vouchers system to aid fertilizer distribution. A key finding is that the heavy emphasis on price subsidization to the detriment of other approaches, such as complementary actions to improve farmers� fertilizer-use techniques, has hampered market development. Three policy recommendations arise from this report. First, the initial step the government should take should be to eliminate the existence of dual fertilizer markets by establishing the primal role of the private sector in fertilizer production, procurement and distribution. Second, the government should seek policy stability by reducing the frequency of government intervention in preference to building capacity in the private sector to handle all levels of the fertilizer value chain activities. Finally, it should provide a clear assignment of monitoring and regulatory roles, which are needed at every stage of fertilizer production (including blending) and distribution with a broader reach of regulatory activities at peri-urban and rural markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Liverpool-Tasie, Saweda & Olaniyan, Babatunde & Salau, Sheu & Sackey, James, 2010. "A review of fertilizer policy issues in Nigeria:," NSSP working papers 19, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    • Handle: RePEc:fpr:nsspwp:19
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Lenis Saweda O. Liverpool-Tasie, 2014. "Do vouchers improve government fertilizer distribution? Evidence from Nigeria," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 45(4), pages 393-407, July.
    2. Emmanuel Olatunbosun Benjamin & Oreoluwa Ola & Hannes Lang & Gertrud Buchenrieder, 2021. "Public-private cooperation and agricultural development in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review of Nigerian growth enhancement scheme and e-voucher program," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(1), pages 129-140, February.
    3. Scheiterle, L., 2018. "Soil, striga or subsidies? Determinants of maize productivity in northern Ghana," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277405, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Moradeyo Adebanjo Otitoju & Dennis D. Ochimana, 2016. "Determinants of farmers’ access to fertilizer under fertilizer task force distribution system in Kogi State, Nigeria," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 1225347-122, December.
    5. Akamin, Ajapnwa & Bidogeza, Jean-Claude & Minkoua N, Jules René & Afari-Sefa, Victor, 2017. "Efficiency and productivity analysis of vegetable farming within root and tuber-based systems in the humid tropics of Cameroon," MPRA Paper 85329, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. F. O. Fawole & O. J. Ayodele & G. O. Adeoye, 2021. "Available Phosphorus in Soils Amended with Organic N-Enriched Composts during Periods of Incubation," Journal of Plant Studies, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(2), pages 1-20, December.
    7. Khor, Ling Yee & Zeller, Manfred, 2012. "Doubts on input quality: The effect of inaccurate fertilizer content on the estimation of production functions and technical efficiency," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 126212, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    8. Khor, Ling & Zeller, Manfred, 2015. "Perception of Substandard Fertilizer and Its Impact on Use Intensity," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211843, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Khor, Ling Yee & Zeller, Manfred, 2014. "Inaccurate fertilizer content and its effect on the estimation of production functions," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 123-132.

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