CBN TO SUPPORT FARMERS

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.

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.

Meanwhile, farmers in the Zuru Emirate council have embraced soya bean production at commercial level as a way of diversifying agricultural activity in the state.