By Emmanuel Tumanjong

Special to Dow Jones Newswires


Benin is cracking down on the smuggling of subsidized fertilizer to neighboring countries as it aims to boost production of food and cash crops, a top security official said Saturday.

A total of 47,440 metric tons of farm inputs have been seized during May, Soumaila Yaya, director general of Benin's republican police, said during a press conference.

The seizures include 47,437 tons of fertilizer and three tons of insecticide and herbicide, Mr. Yaya said.

The government said last month that it was subsidizing farm inputs to boost production of cotton, rice and corn to the tune of 31.5 billion CFA francs ($51.7 million).

The decision came amid increasing prices of fertilizer, pesticides and insecticides due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Subsidized fertilizer was being sold at XAF14,000 a 50-kilogram bag.

Benin, which led Africa's cotton production during the 2020-21 season, hasn't yet released data for the latest season, which ended on April 30.


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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

05-30-22 0957ET