Onome Amuge
The fertiliser sector is undergoing a transformative yet challenging phase, with domestic NPK production reaching unprecedented levels, even as concerns over quality, adulteration, and inconsistent formulations threaten to undermine progress in boosting agricultural productivity and safeguarding food security.
Last week, the NPK Fertiliser Technical Working Group (TWG), together with key stakeholders including the International Fertiliser Development Centre (IFDC), AfricaFertilizer, the Fertilizer Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), and local fertiliser blenders, convened in Kaduna to validate the 2025 production statistics and address pressing industry issues. Discussions focused on production volumes, non-traditional formulations, quality assurance, adulteration, labelling compliance, and distribution challenges.
Mohammed Salasi Idris, IFDC country representative and national programme coordinator for HorNigeria, described the sector’s landscape as “one of the most challenging for Nigeria’s fertiliser industry” in recent years. He highlighted the role of the NPK Technical Working Group in bridging the gap between traditional data sources, which could no longer reflect the realities of a growing domestic blending industry, and the need for accurate, reliable production statistics.
“The Technical Working Group provides a credible and collaborative approach where producers, blenders, regulators, and development partners validate actual production figures, while also monitoring the challenges affecting the sector,” Idris told delegates.
Traditional versus non-traditional blends
Experts at the Kaduna meeting categorised NPK production into traditional and non-traditional blends. Traditional blends comprise formulations and raw material mixtures familiar to Nigerian farmers. Non-traditional blends, in contrast, either introduce new formulations or incorporate distinctive raw materials such as Granular Ammonium Sulphate (GAS), which adds sulphur to the nutrient mix.
Non-traditional blends are divided into commercial blends for the general market and specialised blends tailored for specific crops or soil types. While traditional blends previously accounted for 70–100 per cent of production, data show a decline over recent years. From 2021 to 2023, traditional blends accounted for 70–95 per cent of total production, but by 2024, this figure had dropped to just 11 per cent, reflecting the rapid adoption of non-traditional formulations facilitated by GAS.
“GAS has gradually changed the narrative. It introduces sulphur into NPK blends, enhancing the nutritional value, but also requires accurate labelling to ensure farmers know what they are purchasing,” said Fred Gyasi, deputy programme manager at AfricaFertilizer.
Official data compiled by AfricaFertilizer and IFDC, incorporating inputs from FEPSAN and fertiliser blenders, show that NPK production increased from 630,593 metric tonnes in 2023 to 693,189 tonnes in 2024. In 2025, 587,407 metric tonnes had already been produced by early November, with the final figures expected to rise once all data are compiled in January 2026.
Regional production remains highly concentrated. Kano led the nation with 243,610 metric tonnes in 2024, followed by Kaduna at 189,890 tonnes. Other notable producers include Katsina (29,534 tonnes), Bauchi (20,898 tonnes), and Edo (22,827 tonnes). The least producing states were Kwara (302 tonnes), Kebbi (1,950 tonnes), and Niger (2,056 tonnes).
Overall, the North-West and South-West zones accounted for 90 per cent of all NPK blends in 2024, largely due to the high concentration of blending plants. The North-West alone contributed 70% of total production, while the North-Central zone showed growth in non-traditional, specialised blends such as NPK 20-10-5+S, NPK 2-1-56, and NPK 20-10-10+S, reflecting a diversification strategy responsive to soil testing and commercial crop needs.
Nigeria now boasts approximately 90 blending plants, the highest number in sub-Saharan Africa, according to IFDC. These plants, along with three major producers of granulated urea (Notore Chemical Industries, Indorama Fertilisers & Chemical (both in Onne, Rivers State), and Dangote Fertiliser Limited (Lagos)), produced over 3 million tonnes of urea in 2024, highlighting the country’s growing domestic fertiliser production capacity.
This expansion has been instrumental in reducing dependence on imports, ensuring local supply stability, and supporting government-led agricultural initiatives such as the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme. However, rapid expansion has also exposed gaps in quality control, monitoring, and regulatory compliance.
Despite production gains, the sector faces persistent challenges in product quality and safety. Stakeholders highlighted issues with incorrect formulations, mislabelling, and the improper use of raw materials. One of the most pressing concerns is the direct sale of DAP (Di-Ammonium Phosphate) to farmers, which bypasses blending processes and risks indiscriminate mixing of fertiliser components by farmers lacking technical knowledge.
“DAP is intended for blending, not for direct application by farmers. Its misuse is exacerbating adulteration, with farmers and distributors blending fertilisers at home, often using unsafe or unverified combinations,”said Gyasi.
Market research presented at the Kaduna workshop revealed that many fertiliser brands fail basic quantity tests, indicating systematic adulteration along supply chains. Stakeholders are now calling for enforcement of the Fertilizer Quality Control Act 2019 to prevent direct sales of blending materials to farmers and to penalise offenders.
Certain formulations, such as NPK 18-46-1, closely resemble DAP (18-46-0), while blends like NPK 1-2-56 or NPK 2-1-56 are almost identical to MOP (0-0-60), raising concerns over product differentiation, farmer confusion, and soil nutrient imbalances. Samuel Ali, senior fertiliser market specialist at IFDC, noted, “Some formulas require review or better training for blenders to ensure accuracy and compliance.”
Capacity building and technology interventions
Stakeholders emphasised that training and technology are critical for addressing quality challenges. FEPSAN has introduced digital tools that allow farmers to authenticate products in minutes, helping combat counterfeit and adulterated fertilisers. Olusegun Falade, FEPSAN vice president, stated that these technological interventions, alongside targeted capacity-building for blending operators, are central to protecting both farmers and the sector’s reputation.
Training focuses on proper blending techniques, accurate nutrient labelling, and effective record-keeping, all aimed at professionalising the sector and ensuring non-traditional blends deliver promised agronomic benefits.
Impact on prices and logistics
Price disparities across states remain a challenge. Regions without production plants experience higher transportation costs, pushing up prices for farmers. Logistics and distribution inefficiencies also contribute to shortages in certain areas, which can undermine agricultural planning and crop yield projections. Strengthening the domestic supply chain, including transport, storage, and monitoring systems, is therefore considered critical for stabilising prices and expanding access to high-quality fertilisers.
Recommendations and policy implications
Experts recommend a multi-pronged approach to consolidate the sector’s gains, including improved data capturing for better planning and market monitoring, stronger enforcement through a dedicated task force to curb adulteration and counterfeiting, expanded capacity building to train blending operators on formulations, labelling and quality assurance, wider deployment of technology to help farmers and regulators verify product authenticity, and support for establishing blending plants in under-served states to reduce logistics costs and improve equitable distribution.
Nigeria’s NPK fertiliser sector is considered to have made remarkable strides, boasting record production, rapid adoption of non-traditional blends, and the highest number of blending plants in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, the sector is at a critical juncture. Analysts assert that quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and effective supply chain management will determine whether these production gains translate into sustainable agricultural productivity improvements.
Experts recommend strengthening data collection for more effective planning and market oversight, intensifying enforcement through a dedicated task force to tackle adulteration and counterfeiting, expanding capacity-building programmes for blenders on formulations, labelling and quality assurance, widening the use of technology to help farmers and regulators verify product authenticity, and promoting the establishment of blending plants in under-served states to cut logistics costs and ensure fairer distribution.
