THE Kano Agricultural Supply Company (KASCO)Limited, a fertilizer blending plant, has said that with N300 million invested by the administration of Governor Umar Abdullahi Ganduje last year for the turnaround of the plant,the company has recorded over N150 million profits from it operations which included production of various brands of fertilizer as well as marketing of other agricultural inputs.
This is just as the delegation of Northern Elders Forum, (NEF) led by , Professor Ango Abdullahi, who is a former Vice-Chancellor of ABU commended Governor Ganduje for reviving the plant and called on other governors in the North to emulate him.
Alhaji Bala Inuwa Muhammed, managing director of the company, made the disclosure while briefing a delegation of the Northern Elders Forum, during a working visit to the plant as part of the group tour of projects executed by the state government under Governor Ganduje.
According to him, the company, which was established in 1981 by the regime of former governor, Abubakar Rimi through a loan from the World Bank, and was moribund until it was refurbished by the present administration in the state, is now into full production.
His words, “The profit was recorded from the N300 million invested by the administration of Governor Umar Abdullahi Ganduje last year, for the turnaround of the plant.
Alhaji Muhammed said that a total of over 500 trucks of fertilizers which represents about 30 million metric tonnes, were manufactured by the company last year, and plans were on to grow the manufacturing capability of the plant in the next few months.
“We are glad to receive this august delegation here today, you may be aware that this company which was conceived 36 years ago by the administration of former governor Abubakar Rimi from a loan obtained from the World Bank, and has remained moribund before the coming of governor Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, is fully back to life,” he stated.
Alhaji Muhammed said, “For a start, His Excellency, Governor Ganduje provided us with a working capital of N300 million to kick start operations, and initially we went into the production of NPK brand, but we have since gone into the production of other brands of fertilizers.
“In order to meet the order given to the company by the Federal Government to blend over 100,000 million metric tonnes of fertilizer under it agriculture development programme, we have placed order for the new manufacturing line from South Africa.
“The production plant which is due to arrive in the next few months is a world class plant, and we are the first company in Nigeria, and the second after South Africa to have the plant. With this, we plan to meet our goal of growing our production capability.
“So far we have sold over 400 trucks, and we are recording a weekly turn -over of about N300 million,” he said.
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