The Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) says it is targeting making Nigerian farmers to be among the richest people in the country and the world.

FEPSAN President Thomas Etuh said this on Friday in Abuja in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Etuh said modalities were being designed by the present government under the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) to take Nigerian farmers out of peasant status.

“At FEPSAN, we want to see farmers all over the world as the richest people but there is need to first of all work on making them to have a major stake in the country and not seen as peasants.

“Our target for the next three years regarding input for Nigerian farmers is that we want to see inputs in every nook and cranny of this country, the way we see people selling sachet water.

“And these inputs must be at an affordable rate to the Nigerian farmers,” he said.

According to Etuh who emerged on Thursday as the Leadership Public Servant of the Year for 2018, 20 fertiliser blending plants are currently producing at 100 per cent capacity to ensure the PFI’s target of lifting Nigerian farmers out of peasantry is achieved under this current administration.

“More of these fertiliser blending plants are coming up this year and there are several programmes designed for farmers, including making sure that fertilisers are sold less than the official N5,500 per bag it is sold now,” he added.

It will be recall that Etuh earned the Leadership Public Servant of the Year Award for his passion and robust plan for FEPSAN as a member of the PFI, which saw the price of bag of fertiliser crashing from N13,000 to N5,500.

“We will keep doing what we are called to do; for us, seeing farmers smile is a call to duty and we have been in this journey for three decades.

“Every year, we see improvement and this is what has encouraged us to do more for the Nigerian farmers and I am happy that the Leadership Award came, and I am dedicating it to all the farmers in Nigeria.

“We will keep on improving the service and the provisions of the input for Nigerian farmers because I know it is our dedication to service and to humanity and the seriousness of the steps taken that earned us this award. (NAN)