Notore Chemical Industries Limited

Notore Chemical Industries Limited has blamed the poor soil fertility in Africa for persistent food insecurity in the continent, noting that African farmers are ranked among the lowest users of fertilisers in the world.

In a statement, Notore stressed that Nigerian farmers have a fertliser utilisation rate of 8 kilogrammes per hectare compared to the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s recommendation of 200 kilogrammes per hectare.

“A major reason for the low fertiliser consumption is the scarcity of fertilisers,” Notore said.

“According to the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), economic development in Africa must be based on increased and sustainable agricultural production. To realise this vision, African heads of states and governments developed the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP). Further to that the CAADP set a target 6 percent annual growth in agricultural production to meet the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving poverty and hunger in the continent by 2015,” Notore added.

Notore stressed that in June 2006, African heads of states and other stakeholders met at the African Fertiliser Summit in Abuja, Nigeria to deliberate on ideas that would boost fertiliser consumption on the continent and therefore trigger an African Green Revolution stating that a major outcome of the summit was the resolution by the African Union (AU) member states to increase the rate of fertiliser use and consumption in the continent to an average of 50 kilogramme per hectare by 2015.

According to Notore, its fertiliser is made readily available to farmers through the company’s well-developed distribution and supply network, thereby ensuring increased output leading to hunger reduction and guaranteeing food security on the continent.

Notore added that it operates the only urea fertiliser plant in Sub-Saharan Africa thus placing it in a strategic position for championing the African Green Revolution and also said the company currently has the capacity to produce 1,500 metric tons (MT) per day of urea and1, 000 MT/day of ammonia and also produces NPK fertiliser.

“To significantly increase production capacity, plans are underway to build an integrated plant complex with production capacities of 3,000 MT/day of urea, 1,700 MT/day of ammonia, and 1,500 MT/day of other petrochemicals respectively. The Notore plant is strategically located at Onne sea port in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, therefore its products are well positioned for effective shipment and distribution across the Atlantic coast, and Notore has positioned itself as the major distributor of fertiliser in Africa,” Notore added.

In a response to address the infrastructural and financial challenges currently witnessed by Nigerian subsistent farmers, Notore noted that it has made history by introducing the affordable 1kg and 10kg fertiliser pack options.

“Notore’s leadership in self-empowerment techniques and focus on enhancing food production forms part of its African Green Revolution campaign. Notore’s operations in recent years have impacted positively on agricultural yields while ensuring an improved standard of living for the estimated 14 million farming households in Nigeria, including 70 to 120 percent higher yields of trained farmers, increased grain outputs of 270,000MT, and generating N22.1 billion Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” Notore said.

Notore Chemical Industries Limited (Notore) is one of the leading fertiliser and agro-allied companies in Africa and is committed to helping Nigeria and the African continent become self-reliant in food production and economic wealth. After acquiring the assets of the former National Fertilizer Company of Nigeria (NAFCON) through the federal government’s privatization program, Notore has since grown into an agricultural phenomenon and is one of the world’s lowest-cost fertiliser producers, targeting local markets as well as exports. The company’s principal activities include the supply of premium fertilisers, appropriate education on best practices for farming, and proper deployment of these practices for optimum results. The company has built a robust network of professionals that support farmers and farming communities across Nigeria.