Cultivating New Frontiers In Agriculture (CNFA)- Request For Proposal For The Development Of National Fertilizer Policy

DEADLINE: 4TH OCTOBER, 2021
CULTIVATING NEW FRONTIERS IN AGRICULTURE (CNFA)
DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL FERTILIZER POLICY – (463)
JOB TITLE: DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL FERTILIZER POLICY
LOCATION: NG (PRIMARY)
CATEGORY: PROCUREMENT

JOB DESCRIPTION

Section 1: Introduction, Technical Background and Scope of Work

1.1 Introduction: The five-year USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity (the Activity), implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA) with Connexus Corporation and J.E. Austin Associates as subcontractors, aims to strengthen the enabling environment for agribusiness finance and investment. To achieve this goal, the Activity focuses on four interrelated components: (i) improving the enabling environment for agricultural sector growth; (ii) broadening access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; (iii) promoting and facilitating investment opportunities for agribusinesses to expand and scale up operations; and (iv) sustainably enhancing the performance of agribusiness micro, small and medium size enterprises (MSMEs). In line with the U.S. and Nigerian governments’ commitment to growing the non-oil-based economy, these efforts will increase the depth, breadth, dynamism, and competitiveness of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector. The Activity operates in seven states of Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Niger and Kebbi along soybean, maize, aquaculture, rice, and cowpea value chains.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) requested the assistance of the Activity to review the existing policy on fertilizer to make it more responsive to the global fertilizer sub-sector and further strengthen the fertilizer industry’s contribution to Nigeria’s agricultural sector. The Ministry attributed its request to the expiration of the existing policy and its implementation, noting that the problems of availability, leakage and arbitrage of fertilizer are still lingering. The Activity, in recognition of the importance of fertilizer in sustaining Nigeria’s agriculture, is seeking short term technical assistance to review the existing policy and produce a new policy document that will improve the fertilizer market structure, its conduct and performance. The revised policy will ensure the availability of high quality, low-priced fertilizer by setting up a viable working environment that attracts private investment to the fertilizer sub sector.

Specifically, the review will be based on the following considerations among others:

(1) The former Fertilizer Market Stabilization Scheme (FMSS) and the succeeding Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) were only different policy directions of Government in terms of the approach adopted to providing price subsidy directly to farmers. The current Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) has introduced a fundamental departure in terms of indirect subsidy delivery to farmers through fertilizer producers or suppliers. Thus, the need arises to examine these differences critically with a view to reflect them in a reviewed and re-articulated fertilizer policy statement for the country.

• The subsisting National Fertilizer Policy for Nigeria was approved in 2006 under a different policy environment of the agricultural economy from what presently exists. Thus, the need also arises to evaluate the general policy environment on a before-and-after basis so changes in policy directions can be captured and reflected in the new policy.
• A number of changes that have taken place at regional and international levels in the global fertilizer economy  renders the Nigeria’s policy statement obsolete and ineffectual by now. Such a change is the resurgence of Bio-fertilizers as a best-practice instrument of policy management, but which was not envisaged, let alone reflected, in the current (2006) policy statement. Thus, the need arises for this and such other changes to be incorporated in the new policy.

Offerors are responsible for ensuring that their offers are received by CNFA in accordance with the instructions, terms, and conditions described in this RFP. Failure to adhere with instructions described in this RFP may lead to disqualification of an offer from consideration.

CNFA will consider proposals in response to this RFP from eligible Independent Consultants and Firms.

Application Submission:       

Offer Deadline and Protocol: Offers must be received not later than 5:00PM

WAT on October 4, 2021. Offers must be submitted by email to

operations@aginvest.org .

Please reference the RFP number in any response to this RFP. Offers received after the specified time and date will be considered late and will be considered only at the discretion of CNFA. The cover page of this solicitation summarizes the important dates of the solicitation process. Offerors must strictly follow the provided deadlines to be considered for award.

Click here for full details:   National Fertilizer Policy