New Telegraph

FG lost $1.4bn to importation of chemicals in 2019 –DG NARICT

Despite the nonproductive state of some of the nation’s chemicals, biochemicals, and petrochemicals plants across the country, the Director General, National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), Zaria, Kaduna State, Prof. Jeffrey Barminas, has said that inspite of the impact of COVID – 19 pandemic, Nigeria still lost $1.4 billion to the importation of chemicals. Speaking at an interactive session with the Senate’s Committee on Science and Technology chaired by Senator Uche Ekwunife, in Abuja, Barminas said the country was losing a lot yearly due to the continued importation of the chemical, according to the News agency of Nigeria (NAN).

While noting that the institute had the core mandate of undertaking research in industrial chemicals, biochemicals, petrochemicals among others, Barminas said: “We are highly dependent on importation of chemicals and chemical products into this country. “Just in 2019 alone, this country has lost over $1.4 billion on the importation of chemicals. And how can we handle this? We as a nation can produce chemicals and chemical products based on the natural resources that God has endowed us with.

“Because of our dependence on petroleum for a long time, we left our indigenous chemical technology and that’s why today we are losing a lot in terms of importation.” Barminas said if the country got its research and infrastructure in chemical tech nology right, it would cover up the gap in importation of chemicals. The DG further said that part of the institute’s achievements was the production of fertilizer. He added: “The fertilizer we have is not chemical fertilizer that affects the soil when applied over a long period. Rather it is an organic fertilizer; it is neembased.” The NARICT director general further explained that the country needed over two million metric tonnes of fertilizer annually noting that the agency had produced nine trailers of fertilizer so far in 2020 with a trailer containing about 1, 250 bags. Responding, Ekwunife said the era of importation of chemicals was already a thing of the past once science and technology was improved upon.

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