Cottage stakeholders urge FG to support BOI for grassroot development

Local Cassava Processor at Utugwang, Cross River

As the issue of marketing of agricultural produce is becoming more challenges, stakeholders have expressed the need for the Federal Government to deplore more funding support to the Bank of Industry (BOI) for the purpose of financing cottage processing zones creation which was a Partnership between the Federal Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development (FMARD) and other stakeholders at cassava, rice, palm oil etc.

The stakeholders expressed that the financial empowerment of BOI to financing the cottage processing zones would enable more establishment of cottage crops processing factories that will complement the existing industries along different value chains. 

As the FMARD is passionate about checkmating post harvest loses of farmers and making sure an effective policy to ensure standard processed agricultural foods are made available for further processing for off takers, there is need for this effort to be complemented by fund availability for BOI so that the collaboration will not suffer as a result of lack of fund.

This summation according to stakeholders is very necessary to advise government in the implementation of 2016 policy in the agricultural sector as FG is determined to give more budget priority to agriculture which they argued that the implement process must be powered with efficient processing centres adding this was how wastages could be curbed at the farm gates and job creation at the grassroot of micro economics of the nation.

Food Farm News gathered that FMARD is already strategizing effective methods aimed towards achieving the success of this programmes in cassava, oil palm, rice and other crops in the value chains towards products quality/standard vigorously, market exploitation (local and international) for economic power creation in the country as government is urged to put more money in the Bank of Industry (BOI) for people to get more benefits, just as states should contribute their quota by reducing the loan rate.

The Federal Government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Mohammadu Buhari has signified that the 2016 budget for agriculture and mining will have highest priorities as against Defence ministry thereby showing his unrelented belief in backward integrated economy of using the non oil sector of agriculture to reposition the economy towards financial empowerment of Nigerians in shortest time.

Finding revealed that NGOs are been expected to participate towards reducing the loan component to strengthen the SMEs of the cottage owners as BOI  should be more proactive by facilitating effective disbursement and payment of cottage developers to ensure continuity of the project.

 A source told Food Farm News that the Cassava Cottage Processing and Marketing Association (CCPMA) is beneficiary group under the Public Private and Partnership (PPP) arrangement with the FMARD and BOI saying CCPMA is a Community Based Crops Processing Factories grouped nationally spread out to transform the industrial setting of our rural areas using Agro business as our weapon for excellent in food quality and processing.

The source added that we have the potential to be the largest employer of labor in the rural area of the country. We are geared towards facilitating the registration of our members’ factory premises with relevant agencies added that the The federal department of Agriculture had organized a workshop/Training where the CCPMA society concept is been agreed upon, and aimed at facilitation of good agricultural processing activities of investors towards production of improved value added products in order to meet local market demands as well as volume of exportation.

CCPMA is in collaboration with relevant agencies such as National Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), National Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS), for effective linkages and efficient service delivery to the nation and the world at large factory beneficiaries during which the formation of the CCPMA was agreed upon.