By Admin.
“The one who wears the shoe knows where it pinches.” This popular African adage aptly captures the growing concerns of farmers and agricultural stakeholders in Plateau State, many of whom believe that recent changes to the state’s fertilizer distribution system are undermining transparency, accountability, and effective service delivery.
Stakeholders are calling on the Plateau State Government to review the current arrangement and restore the Plateau Agricultural Development Programme (PADP) to its traditional role of distributing fertilizers and other agricultural inputs to farmers across the state.
For decades, PADP has served as the government’s implementation agency for agricultural programmes, relying on its extensive network of Extension Agents embedded in farming communities to identify genuine farmers and ensure that improved seeds, fertilizers, and other inputs reach their intended beneficiaries.
According to stakeholders, this arrangement reflected the statutory responsibilities of both institutions: while the Ministry of Agriculture focused on policy formulation, strategic planning, and oversight, PADP implemented agricultural programmes at the grassroots level.
However, they argue that the recent shift, which places fertilizer distribution directly under the Ministry of Agriculture, departs from this long-established institutional framework and raises important questions about governance and accountability.
Among the concerns raised are how genuine farmers are now identified without PADP’s community-based extension structure, what independent oversight exists when the same institution is responsible for both policy and implementation, and how transparency and equitable distribution can be guaranteed under the current system.
The calls for a review have also been fueled by public discussions surrounding previous fertilizer distribution exercises, including reports alleging that some fertilizer allocations under an earlier arrangement were not fully accounted for. Stakeholders say such reports reinforce the need for stronger accountability mechanisms and have urged the appropriate authorities to investigate any allegations of irregularities.
They maintain that restoring PADP to its implementation role would improve efficiency by leveraging its established extension network, technical expertise, and long-standing relationship with farming communities. They also contend that such a move would help ensure that agricultural inputs reach genuine farmers rather than being influenced by favouritism or political patronage.
Stakeholders further recommend that the Ministry of Agriculture concentrate on its core mandate of policy formulation, regulation, coordination, and supervision, while allowing PADP to execute field-level implementation.
They argue that maintaining a clear distinction between policy oversight and programme implementation is consistent with good governance principles and would strengthen public confidence in government interventions, improve accountability, and enhance agricultural productivity across Plateau State.
As the farming season progresses, many believe that an efficient, transparent, and farmer-centred distribution system will be critical to ensuring that government support reaches those who need it most and contributes meaningfully to food security and rural economic development.
