Mahamane Djibo is a market gardener in the rural commune of Tabelot, located in the Agadez region of Niger. Djibo explained, “I produce onions. It is an activity that I like very much, but I must admit that it has not been easy at all. On one hectare, I had barely a few dozen kilograms of harvest. It was really difficult for us to access fertilizer. It was expensive and rare. I had to pay 37,000 CFA francs (about U.S. $60) for a bag of urea, which was challenging.”
The fertilizer subsidy has provided financial relief to vulnerable producers in our region.
But government reform of the fertilizer sector, supported by IFDC’s PARSEN project, has changed things for the better, thanks to a targeted fertilizer subsidy. “Now, vulnerable producers like me have good quality fertilizer available. We pay only 10,000 CFA francs (about U.S. $16) per bag,” Djibo noted.
Before the fertilizer sector reform in Niger, vegetable production was not promising because farmers could not afford to buy the fertilizer needed for this activity.
The targeted subsidy was first piloted in 2019 and then expanded in 2022. The subsidy takes place in several steps.
- The subsidy program targets vulnerable producers, who are provided with a beneficiary card.
- These producers pay the unsubsidized portion of the fertilizer cost, which amounts to 10,000 CFA francs (about U.S. $16) per bag.
- The producers are then notified when they can pick up their four bags of fertilizer, upon presentation of their receipt.
This subsidy has facilitated the availability of fertilizers and allowed beneficiary producers to increase their production.
“The fertilizer subsidy has provided financial relief to vulnerable producers in our region,” Djibo said with satisfaction.
PARSEN (2018-2022) is funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)/Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Niger.
