Reps To Probe Fertilizer Price Hike

The House of Representatives has said it would investigate reported increase in the price of fertilizer in the country.

Towards this end, it mandated the House Committee on Agricultural Production and Services to urgently undertake an oversight probe of the matter.

This followed a motion by Rep. Olusegun Odebunmi (Oyo-PDP) brought under “matters of urgent public importance”, which was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote on Tuesday.

On the motion, Odebunmi said that the past administration made fertilizer accessible through the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) which brought transparency in the process by eliminating middle men.

“The success of the GES metamorphosed into greater output from the agricultural sector as fertilisers were available and affordably sold at between N3, 000 and N3, 500”, he said.

He said that agriculture was the driver of the diversification programme of the government and could avert the looming famine in the country.

“If this situation is allowed to go unchecked, this can lead to problems in the agricultural sector, which will in turn cause a serious macro-economic problem for the economy”, the lawmaker said.

(NAN)