People involved in agriculture want the Nigerian government to take stronger action to protect the future of farming by punishing those who make, sell, or distribute fake or poor-quality fertilisers.
As more farmers need fertilisers during the rainy season, dishonest sellers are taking advantage by offering cheaper, fake products—mainly targeting poor farmers in rural and semi-urban areas.
The National Fertiliser Quality Control Act of 2019 sets clear rules for how fertilisers should be labeled and sold. It also includes strong punishments for anyone who breaks these rules, aiming to protect farmers and the environment.
Experts say that bad-quality fertilisers are harming crop production, draining nutrients from the soil, and causing financial problems for small-scale farmers.
Fake fertilisers are not just bad for the economy—they also harm the environment.
Dr. Oloyin Ibrahim, a soil expert, explained that there have been cases where crops didn’t grow well because the fertilisers were toxic, even though they were labeled as safe. He said many farmers don’t realize they’re using harmful or weak fertilisers. He believes the law is necessary and timely.
This law was put in place on October 15, 2019. It replaced an older law and now provides better ways to control fertiliser quality in Nigeria.
Under the new law, anyone caught making or selling fake or underweight fertilisers can be jailed for five years, with no chance to pay a fine instead. Distributors without a license can be fined up to ₦500,000 every day, and manufacturers can be fined between ₦5 million and ₦10 million.
The law also bans activities like selling fertilisers without proper labeling, misusing fertilisers meant for government programs, or blocking inspectors. It gives agriculture officials the power to inspect storage areas, take fake products, and take legal action.
The law sets clear standards. For instance, if a fertiliser says it has 20% potassium, it cannot be more than 1.08% below that. Anything lower is illegal to sell.Those who break this rule can face criminal charges and must also pay damages to farmers, as stated in the law.
The Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association wants the law to be enforced more strictly because fake fertiliser sellers are hurting their business, even though they’ve invested a lot of money in the industry.
