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Six years after the Federal Government launched the Anchor Borrowers Programme through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to assist in food production, the report card from the Southwest has revealed that some state governments expected to guarantee loans were reluctant to do so because they feared they would have to bear the burden should farmers default.
It was gathered that conditions attached to securing the loan did not favour Southwest vegetation, as the drafters of the conditions allegedly had northern farmers in mind. Stakeholders claimed inputs were released to farmers in Southwest at a time suitable for only northern farmers. They cited, for instance, that inputs were released late in the year, when northern farmers were
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The Federal Government says it will soon commence the distribution of agricultural inputs to Nigerian farmers for the 2021 Wet Season farming.
Theodore Ogaziechi, Director of Information, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, announced this on Thursday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Mr Ogaziechi said the distribution was to enhance production of food and balanced nutrition, create more jobs, and boost wet season farming.
“Government has commenced activities to encourage farmers with the roll-out of free inputs distribution to 7,500 small scale women farmers from the North-central states and the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.
List why ban won’t work
Agro-industrial users of maize have faulted the insistence of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop and frustrate importation of maize into the country despite unfavourable conditions for local production of the crop and a shortfall of over 5 million metric tonnes. x
The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), major commercial poultry farmers and feed millers, in different interviews with The Guardian, lamented the high cost of maize, which is a major ingredient in animal feeds.
They argued that banning the importation of maize and soya beans unreasonably would compound the country’s economic woes as poultry, fishery and feed industries would collapse, which in turn would worsen unemployment, aggravate poverty and hamper foreign investments in the sectors.
It infects crops from flowering until maturity. Maize and groundnut are particularly susceptible. One cannot see, smell or taste aflatoxin, yet both people and animals are very sensitive to it.
While acute exposure to aflatoxins can kill, prolonged exposure leads to impeded growth, liver disease, immune suppression and cancer, with women, children and the poor most vulnerable.
Few years ago, makers of animal feeds and other household consumables complained that the Nigerian maize and other oil seeds like groundnut were highly infected with aflatoxins, which forced many poultry farmers and feed millers to clamour for importation.
On Tuesday, stakeholders met at a workshop organised by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Harvestfield Industries Limited to discuss the results of aflatoxin levels test in maize sampled nationwide under the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (CBN-ABP) 2020 wet season project.