By Samuel

Cotton farmers under the aegis of the National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN) have rated highly the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) after its positive effect on farmers across the country.

President of the association, Mr. Anibe Achimugu, described the intervention as the best agricultural programme launched so far.

He made this assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), while also urging the Federal Government to sustain the programme as well as its value chain strategy.

Achimugu extolled the benefits of the ABP, stating the programme has helped lift farmers via the provision of markets for their produce.

He said, “A farmer will not have to struggle to look for who will either buy his products or the pricing which is also considered in the ABP.

“In short, it’s like minimum guarantee price for the farmer who only has to essentially decide what crop he needs to plant.

“Informed planting decision is important to the farmer, because with the market and pricing in place, farmers will keep on farming a particular crop as well as keep them coming back.”

He further stated that the introduction of the scheme has helped tackle import dependency, as it is seen as a total overhaul of the agricultural sector, and the cotton value chain in particular.

According to him, the ABP cotton seed intervention in 2019 has helped the farmers in no small measure, as the farmers have already produced beyond the capacities of textile mills in the country.

Recall that the ABP had targeted no fewer than 100,000 cotton farmers to boost local production and the processing of cotton, last year.

The intervention had also targeted the processing of about 414,000 metric tonnes of seed cotton via ginning companies and textile mills.

Achimugu commended the Central Bank of Nigeria for linking personnel of the armed forces and the paramilitary into the programme.

Fabrics from Nigerian cotton are now directly sourced by organisations, the NACOTAN president added.

He, therefore, called for the sustenance of the programme, noting that it would help improve the economy and lives of Nigerians in general.

By Samuel

Maize farmers under the aegis of the Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN), Niger State Chapter, have kicked against the conditions attached to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s loans under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP).

The farmers expressed displeasure at the conditions attached to the package designed for the 2020 farming season by the apex bank.

AgroNigeria gathered that the loan comprises the supply of fertiliser, herbicides and seeds estimated to be worth N166,000, and is to be repaid with beneficiary farmers’ seeds after harvest.

The repayment, it was gathered, could be made in two farming seasons.

Another condition attached to the loan includes the repayment with farm produce 30 bags per hectare.

Also, participating farmers were required to pay a deposit of N20,000, a policy – although not part of CBN’s conditions – MAAN said it introduced to avoid low rates of repayment recorded with previous loans.

In addition, participating farmers were also expected to sworn an affidavit in court.

It was also gathered that the farmers were asked to deposit N3,000 in a Unity Bank account for logistics.

Ninety-one out of 143 beneficiary farmers rejected the offer which they considered unrealistic.

A member of MAAN, Hon. Usman Kwotu, while protesting noted that if allowed to continue, the conditions would work against the good intentions of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in the area of agricultural revitalisation.

Kwotu accused MAAN of hijacking the loan’s process to suit its desires, adding that the new conditions were unrealistic.

“We condemn the entire process, farmers can’t meet up with the demands of this current template as prices of the items are not in consonance with the reality,” he said.

Meanwhile, the State Secretary of MAAN, Adamu Jibrin wondered why the farmers were protesting the conditions.

Jibrin argued that the farmers should accept the loan conditions and be appreciative instead.
The secretary said, “The CBN loan is just a 9% interest loan programme and should be appreciated.

“The prices of the materials given will be deducted from the total package and balance will be given to the beneficiaries.

“The N3,000 deposit is for the transportation of those goods – to store and secure the materials to date. Also, a hectare can produce between 60-80 bags, therefore it is of benefit to the farmers.”

By Samuel

The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission has decried prevalent fraudulent practices in the state’s rice production value chain under the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP).

Chairman of the Commission, Barr. Muhuyi Rimin Gado, noted that the N10 billion ABP fund meant for the farmers at the grassroots level was diverted and only a few farmers benefited from it.

Gado made this disclosure after a meeting with the leadership of Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN), Kano State Chapter, News Agency of Nigeria reports.

The chairman noted that some corrupt people within the value chain disbursed the fund to fake farmers – a development he said was responsible for the poor rate of ABP loan recovery in the state.

Gado said, “I want to use this medium to call on farmers, especially those who benefited from the scheme, to understand that the Anchor Borrower Programme is not a free package but a loan scheme

“Therefore, I want to appeal to our farmers not to see the Anchor Borrower Programme as a gift, although it appeared to be. They must be ready to pay back in paddy.”

Gado also called on the Federal Government to checkmate the corrupt practices among rice production actors in the country.

He assured that the anti-corruption body was doing everything possible to ensure that stolen resources were recovered and returned.

Also speaking after the meeting, Gado decried the scarcity of rice in the state.

While Gado attributed the scarcity of paddy rice to fraud, state chairman of RIPAN, Alhaji Imran Amin, said the increase was a result of the surge in the price of paddy from N160,000 to N195,000 per tonne.

Amin, therefore, urged the Federal Government to provide land to the millers to enable them to be directly involved in rice production.

The state chairman also called for the efficient utilisation of resources channelled into paddy production.

“We are appealing to the government to give us land and loans so that we can produce good quantities and quality of paddy. And chances of loan recovery is 100 percent,” he said.

By Samuel

The Niger State Government has flagged-off activities to commence rice farming for the 2020 wet season.

This follows the securing of a loan deal by the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Niger State chapter, under the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrower’s Programme (ABP).

Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello inaugurated the exercise on Tuesday as part of state efforts to ensure food security in the aftermath of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Bello, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Kagara, also disclosed that over 10, 000 beneficiaries would benefit from the scheme. He added the loan would be repaid after harvest.

Each beneficiary is to be paid N60, 000 in cash from Unity Bank to take care of the cost of labour on their rice farms.

The state governor also urged farmers under RIFAN to take advantage of the mechanized farm equipment procured by the state for land preparation and development.

“The potential of Niger State in Agricultural sector is considerable, and the administration of Governor Abubakar Sadiq Sani Bello is determined to see the state take its rightful place going into the future,” he noted

Bello also urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the opportunity offered by the exercise by contributing their parts towards growing a buoyant Niger State economy post-COVID-19.

By Samuel 

No fewer than 535 maize farmers in Anambra would receive farm inputs worth over N89 million under the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrower’s Programme (ABP).

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that some of the inputs include improved maize seedlings, NPK and organic fertilisers, urea, micronutrients, knapsack sprayer and insecticides.

Anambra State Chairman of the Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN), Simeon Okafor, explained that the support will enable farmers to plant for the 2020 wet season that has just begun.

Okafor, who pointed out that the number of beneficiaries of the support rose from 122 in 2019 to the current figure, further disclosed that the farmers would also enjoy logistic support.

This support, he said, would cover areas such as land preparation, farm mapping, ploughing, extension services, among others.

The state chairman explained that farmers in the state had hitherto been reluctant to give out their Biometric Verification Number (BVN), a prerequisite for registration.

He, however, added that adequate sensitization by the association had convinced the farmers, hence the increase in the number of beneficiaries.

Okafar, therefore, called on the government to ensure the timely release of the inputs to the state.

Meanwhile, the Head of the CBN Development Finance Office, Awka Branch, Bridget Okparaeze, has said that MAAN’s participation this year is the association’s second since the ABP was launched in 2015.

Okparaeze expressed delight in the number of increased participants, adding that it was a step towards achieving food sufficiency.

She said, “This is in line with the food security initiative of the Federal Government of promoting the ‘Grow What We Eat and Eat What We Grow’ slogan.

“The Federal Government in collaboration with the CBN will continue to support farmers with relevant farm inputs to ensure food security in the country.”

The branch head further explained that the scheme is a loan facility in the form of farm inputs distribution and a cash component.

All beneficiaries are, therefore, expected to repay the loan through their farm outputs, she added.

The CBN official also urged the leadership of MAAN and other key players to enforce the implementation of the programme from planting to evacuation stages.

“Farmers that divert their farm inputs or side-sell their produce will be blacklisted outrightly and banned from further participating in any CBN intervention programmes,” she warned.

“All our interventions previously at nine per cent interest rate are now given at five per cent interest rate for this year because of COVID-19.

“Therefore, all farmers participating in this programme are expected to repay the loan granted to them with their produce”, Okaparaeze further explained.

By dickson

A total of 40, 000 registered farmers under the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), in Kano state will benefit from the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) during the 2020 dry season farming.

Alhaji Ado Hassan, the state’s RIFAN secretary, who disclosed this in Kano, said the association had concluded arrangements for the distribution of fertilisers and other inputs to the farmers next week.

According to him, each of the beneficiaries will collect fertilisers, certified seeds, water pumping machines, sprayers, herbicides as well as empty bags for storing their commodity after harvest.

He explained that the farmers were expected to collect the items as the total package of the loan for cultivating one hectare, while those cultivating two to three hectares would receive the package commensurate with the size of their farm.

He said the association also intend to offer tractor hiring service to the beneficiaries at subsidised rates of between 25 per cent and 30 per cent.

“We have 20 tractors on ground and we are also expecting 30 more as they are on their way to Kano,” he said.

“So, we intend to assist our members with the tractor hiring service by charging them less than the normal rates charged by private owners.”

Hassan said the number of farmers to benefit from the programme this year was higher than those that benefited in 2019.

“No fewer than 7, 000 or 10, 000 registered women rice farmers out of the total number of beneficiaries will partake in the irrigation activities this dry season farming.

“During the 2019 irrigation season, only 25, 000 rice farmers were able to access the federal government’s intervention under the Anchor Borrower Programme,” he said.