The Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Governor, Godwin Emefiele has pledged support
for rice farmers in Kebbi State, assuring them that the Federal Government remains
committed to ensuring food sufficiency in the country.
The CBN boss made
this pledge when he inspected rice farms in Itane, Ketar Fulani and Gwadan
Gwaji villages in Kebbi State.
Emefiele, who
expressed satisfaction with the yield of farmers that hearkened to the clarion
call to embrace farming as a business venture, stated that the major objectives
of the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme have been largely achieved.
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| CBN Governor, Emefiele |
He said the
objectives of initiative includes assisting rural small holder farmers to grow
from subsistence to commercial production level, increase capacity utilisation,
create jobs, reduce poverty as well as increase banks’ finance to agricultural
sector among others.
The CBN
governor, who was accompanied by the Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Abubakar
Bagudu and the representative of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, affirmed that the ABP was yielding results due
to farmers’ access to the correct seedlings, pesticides and fertilizer, as well
as the support from the state government.
While noting
that the refusal of some farmers to register for the Bank Verification Number
(BVN) had militated against their getting access to the ABP facility, he urged
all farmers in the country to register for their BVN.
Echoing similar
sentiments, Gov. Bagudu, who doubles as the Chairman of the National Task Force
on Rice and Wheat, said the objective of the tour was to see how farmers and
processors in the country were responding to the call by President Muhammadu
Buhari, as well as the impact of funds provided under the Anchor Borrowers’
Programme (ABP).
While
attributing the bumper harvest being recorded in all the 31 rice-producing
states across the country to the political motivation by President Buhari, as
well as intervention efforts of the CBN and the Federal Ministry of
Agriculture, he said the goal of making Nigeria self-sufficient was on course.
Equally
speaking, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh,
represented by the Director in the Ministry, Alhaji Azeez Musibau Olumuyiwa,
assured of the Ministry’s commitment to work with the CBN to ensure the success
of the agricultural intervention programmes, in line with the aspirations of
the Federal Government.
Responding, the
Chairman, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Kalgo Local Government
chapter, Alhaji Aliyu Itane, denied the allegations that politicians were the
ones benefitting from the programme.
While fielding
questions from journalists, other farmers expressed their appreciation to the
CBN Governor and said that the ABP had increased their output and created jobs
in the area. They also called on the state government to construct roads to the
farms that would enable them repatriate the farm produce to the markets easily.
“The Itane farm
has a coverage land area of 89 kilometres and to rice farmers in the area there
is no economic recession. What is recession?” Alhaji Aliyu, one of the farmers,
queried.
