President Mohammadu Buhari Flags Off Dry Season Farming, Launches N20bn CBN Loan in Kebbi |
True to his
statement that he would revive agriculture by building on the policies
of the past administration, President Mohammadu Buhari demonstrated the
Federal Government’s commitment to agriculture by officially flagging
off dry season rice and wheat farming in Kebbi state and also launching
the N20billion Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) which the Central Bank
of Nigeria has set aside for rice farmers across the country.
Over time, dry season has
always been a challenging period for farmers because there are no
irrigation facilities in the country and they most often than not, have
had to incorporate different saving practices to adapt to the climate
change on their own. This irreversibly results to low crop yields and
the endangering of the livelihood of farmers.
It is believed that the
efforts of the Federal Government to address this problem will ensure
that farmers will no longer be left dry when the weather gets harsh.
President Muhammadu Buhari at
the Kebbi State launch said that the importance of agriculture to the
economy cannot be over- emphasised, hence, his administration would
diversify the economy to give greater emphasis to agricultural
production.
He also commended Kebbi state
for taking the lead in the project and also it’s effort in the revival
of rice and wheat production with states like Zamfara, Adamawa, Jigawa,
Ebonyi, Gombe and Taraba who have also demonstrated and indicated their
interest of supporting farmers.
“The importance of agriculture
to the economy cannot be over emphasised because economic
diversification is the only way to prosperity. Go back to the land and
develop agriculture because the era of depending on oil is over,” he
said.
Speaking during the event,
Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele said that the Anchor
Borrowers’ programme was designed to create economic linkages between
farmers and processors, not only to ensure the output of rice and wheat,
but also to bridge the gap between production and consumption.
“Over 200,000 rice and wheat
farmers will benefit from the scheme ranging from N150,000 to N250,000
to assist in procuring necessary agricultural inputs.
The programme is an initiative
of the CBN aimed at creating an ecosystem to link
out-growers(smallholder farmers) to local processors.
The Executive Governor of
Kebbi State, Gov. Atiku Bagudu commended the CBN and assured the public
that the state has the capacity to produce rice and wheat for both
domestic and external consumption.
The event took place at Kebbi state yesterday, November 17, 2015.
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