PFJ 2022: General implementation guidelines for distribution of Fertilizers

To ensure efficiency and value for money in the distribution of subsidized fertilizers to beneficiary farmers under the 2022 Planting for Food and Jobs Campaign, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is rolling out the following implementation modalities with support of NABCO officials.

1. The Ministry will continue to promote crop specific fertilizer recommendations in all agro-ecologies across the country.
2. All inorganic fertilizers will be bagged in sacks with PFJ labels/logo. Liquid and different forms of organic fertilizers must be packaged with PFJ logo and inscriptions.
3. All inorganic fertilizers to be sold under the 2022 PFJ will be bagged in 25kg bags in all the 16 regions of the country.
4. Copies of waybills on all fertilizer consignments must be submitted to Regional Ministers or their representatives and Regional Directors of Agriculture for endorsement before offloading or sending to the districts/communities.
5. At the districts and community levels, copies of waybills of all fertilizer consignments must be submitted to MMDCEs or their representatives and Municipal, Metropolitan and District Directors of Agriculture for endorsement.
6. In situations where the destination of the consignment is not a regional capital, the waybill of the consignment must be endorsed by the MMDCEs and copies sent to the Regional Minister by the company for endorsement.
7. Fertilizer distributors and retailers will liaise with NABCO officials under the supervision of MMDCEs to distribute fertilizers to the sale outlets/retail points.
8. Daily records sheets will be used to record daily sales to farmers.
9. NABCO officials will be placed at all retail outlets in all regions to supervise and record the quantities of fertilizers being sold to farmers through the use of the daily records sheets.
10. The sales records of the retailers will be reconciled with the NABCO officials.
11. The date, name, quantities and types fertilizers bought by beneficiary farmers should be recorded on the daily records sheets. It must be ensured that only daily records sheets provided by MOFA are to be used by the retailers.

1.1 MOVEMENT OF SUBSIDISED FERTILIERS AND THE FIGHT AGAINST SMUGGLING

As part of measures being instituted by MOFA to curtail smuggling, movement of subsidized fertilizers will be restricted in 22 districts in 5 regions as follows;

1. Upper East Region (7): Bawku Municipal, Bawku West, Garu, Tempane, Kasena Nankana West, Bongo and Pusiga Districts.
2. Upper West Region (6): Sissala West, Sissala East, Nandom, Lambusie, Nadowli Kaleo and Lawra Districts.
3. Northern Region (2): Saboba and Tatale Districts
4. North East (2): Chereponi and Bunkurugu Nankpanduri Districts
5. Volta Region (5): Ketu North, Ketu South, Akatsi North Agortime Ziope and Ho West Districts.

In these regions, the Municipal and District Assemblies will select about 10 retailers in   the districts to sell fertilizers to farmers.

Sale of subsidised fertilizers outside the approved list of retailers (to be submitted by MMDAs) in the above-mentioned districts will not be accepted for payment.

2.0 QUALITY CONTROL

Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) would intensify quality control under the Planting for Food and Jobs Campaign for 2022.

PPRSD will work with selected accredited private laboratories to take samples of fertilizers at the port of entry and at the blending sites for laboratory analysis.

1. Two samples will be taken anytime a company imports and blends at least 5,000MT for the analysis. Copies of the laboratory analysis will be made available to the fertilizer companies.
2. Copies of the laboratory analysis should be added to payment invoices as supporting document. Cost of the laboratory analysis will be borne by the companies.
3. Fertilizers that will fall below the quality standards will not be accepted for payment and the appropriate sanctions will apply.

3.0 SUBMISSION OF IMPORT DOCUMENTS/SOURCES OF FERTILIZERS

1. All participating companies will be required to furnish the Ministry of Food and Agriculture with all importation documents (bill of laden & commercial invoices and customs declaration for
2. Companies that will purchase fertilizers from other companies within the country will be required to furnish the Ministry of Food and Agriculture with the purchasing agreements.
3. Payment invoices for distribution will not be accepted from companies that will fail to provide these documents (a & b above).
4. Invoices or receipts for procurement of sacks for bagging of fertilizers must be made available to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture for reconciliation with approval from PPRSD.

4.0 COMPLETION OF SUBSIDY DOCUMENTATIONS

1. At the end of each month, the retailers would present the daily records sheets to the offices of the District Departments of Agriculture for a FORM A to be prepared. The District Department will record the total quantities of fertilizers sold by the retailers on the FORM A. The Retailer, District Fertilizer Desk Officers and the District Directors of Agriculture must sign the FORM A.
2. The FORM As will be sent to the Regional Departments of Agriculture for a FORM B & C to be prepared. The Regional Fertilizer Desk Officers will record the quantities of fertilizers sold on the FORMS B & C. At the regional level, the fertilizer distributor/company, Regional Fertilizer Desk Officer and Regional Director of Agriculture must sign the FORM B & C.
3. The Regional and District Departments are required to prepare form A, B and C for the retailers and distributors within 3 days of submission of the daily records sheet and fertilizer form As.
4. At the end of each month, all fertilizer forms (A, B & C) should be aggregated by the fertilizer companies and submitted to the Director of Crop Services together with the invoices and other relevant documents for processing and payments.
5. The figures will be reconciled by the Director of Crop Services with NABCO officials and the forms will be forwarded to the internal audit for necessary audit.
6. If the figures are found to be accurate, a FORM D is prepared. The fertilizer Company, the Director of Crop Services and the Chief Internal Auditor will sign the FORM D. The form D and the invoices from the companies are sent for approval by the Hon.  Minister for Food and Agriculture for onward submission to the Ministry of Finance for payment.
7. It is not allowed to use correction fluid to change figures on the daily records sheets, waybill and the fertilizer forms (A, B & C).
8. The daily records sheets must be signed by the NABCO Officers and the fertilizers retailers at the end of the month before submission to the District Departments of Agriculture for form As to be prepared.
9. The figures on the FORM As must correspond to the figures on the daily records sheets.
10. Distributors and retailers are allowed to use photocopies of the daily record sheets to record daily sales to farmers.

5.0 DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED FOR PROCESSING AND PAYMENT

The following are the documents required for processing and payment:

1. Completed fertilizer forms (A, B & C) duly signed and stamped by the Regional and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Directors of Agriculture respectively.
2. Importers and distributors waybills duly signed and stamped by the Regional Ministers and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives or their representatives.

3. The original of completed daily records sheets duly signed by the retailer and NABCO officer and stamped by the District Director of Agriculture.

4. Invoice(s) with following supporting documents
5. Bill of lading
6. commercial invoices
7. customs declaration forms
8. Laboratory analysis

6.0 GUIDELINES FOR FERTILIZER STOCK TAKING

1. All participating companies will be required to declare their opening stocks at the beginning of the season, February – March, 2022.
2. All participating companies must inform MOFA in writing whenever they import or receive new consignments. The request for stock taking must be submitted at least one week before the exercise is carried out.
3. Participating companies who will purchase their inputs fertilizers locally from other companies must at all times invite MOFA to take stocks before distribution commences.
4. Companies that would purchase their inputs locally should indicate in their letters to MoFA (supported by a purchasing agreement), the companies they are purchasing their inputs from.

5. Upon receipt of the letter for stock taking, the team will arrange with the companies the appropriate day the stock taking exercise will be carried out.
6. Raw materials for blending and bulk compound fertilizers will not be counted/inspected.

7. The stock taking will only be carried out on stocks that have been bagged in the prescribed PFJ packaging materials. Organic fertilizers will be packaged in one (l) litre containers with PFJ logo.
8. The products must be well arranged in the warehouses to facilitate the stock taking exercise. The team will not count any consignment that is not well arranged in the warehouses.
9. Warehouse Managers are required to cooperate fully with the stock taking team and give all relevant information for the conduct of the stock taking exercise.
10. For the purposes of determining the quantities of fertilizers that can be blended based on the raw materials available, blending companies must provide the blending formular to the stock taking team.

11. Fertilizers that have expired will not be counted.

12. Each company is entitled to one visit free of charge. Since inventory of fertilizers are expensive, companies are obliged to pay for additional stock taking exercise.

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) WOULD NOT ACCEPT any invoice(s) on fertilizers stocks which have not been verified/counted by the team before distribution. Please under no circumstances that fertilizers are distributed without stock taking.

7.0 ASSESSMENT/VERIFICATION OF SUBSIDY FORMS A’s AND DAILY RECORDS SHEETS.

Under the 2022 Planting for Food and Jobs Campaign, fertilizer subsidy forms A’s and its associated daily records sheets will be assessed/verified prior to the preparation of forms B & C by the Regional Department of Agriculture. The assessment will be carried out as follows;

1. The subsidy forms will be assessed by randomly picking the contact numbers recorded on the daily records sheets attached to the form A’s and calls placed to the farmers/persons to find out whether he or she received the fertilizers or not.
2. If 50% of farmers/persons randomly selected on the daily records sheets deny buying any fertilizers at all.
3. If the farmers/persons randomly selected in the daily records deny buying the quantities of fertilizers recorded against his/her name.
4. If the quantities of fertilizers recorded against names of the farmers/persons are more than the approved quantities. 
5. If the contact numbers recorded on the daily record sheets are fictitious/wrong numbers or are not legible.
6. If the contact numbers do not belong to the farmers/persons recorded on the daily records sheets and the farmers/persons the number belongs to deny knowing the farmers/persons recorded on the daily records sheets.
7. If the accompanying daily record sheets do not have contact numbers/ID Card against farmers’ names.
8. The failure to comply with the above guidelines (1 – 7) will lead to the rejection of the daily record sheets and subsequently non-payment of the invoice(s).

8.0 APPROVED SUBSIDIZED PRICES FOR FETILIZERS FOR 2022

a. Inorganic Fertilizers Prices

b. Organic Fertilizer Prices