BOA supports ban for anchor rice programme sustenance

BOA

As harvesting of the last year dry season anchor rice cultivation officially launched by President Mohammadu Buhari in Kebbi state is about to start, the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) the official programme manager through his Managing Director (MD), Prof. Danbala Danja has thrown its weight behind the Federal government macro-economic policy of banning importation of rice for the boosting of local production saying this would make recovery very efficient, and more fund availability to farmers.

 

Speaking to newsmen in his corporate headquarters’ boardroom at Kaduna yesterday, BOA MD, Prof. Danbala said that the sustainability of the Federal Government (FG) money injection through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) into Anchor Borrowing Programme especially rice would hinge on the political power to enforce the macro economy policy of placing ban on this produce in order to encourage local production stressed influx would spoil the market for the national producers. 

According to him the success recorded in Kebbi rice was evident as harvest of about 98,000 hectares cultivated by 75,000 farmers with about 14 billion naira already injected into the programme would soon commence with 73 centres on ground to ensure 100 percent collection without side selling.

Prof. Danbala said that availability of more fund through the CBN would give expansion to the programme as about 300,000 farmers are targeted to produce more rice paddy for the wet planting season in about thirteen states of the federation as import substitution saying scientific method of registration was adopted to ensure proper capturing with the issuance of Bank Verification Number (BVN) thereby encouraging the states government to embrace giving land titles to farmers so as to enhance credit accessibility for agricultural productivity. 

Responding to question of political farmer infiltration of the programme, Prof Danbala said that the capturing process involved scientific methods of bio metric data, issuance of Bank Verification Number (BVN) and the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) adding the role of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in the process was very strategic in the entire processing towards achieving holistic success by member identification.

He also pointed that the disbursement of N210.000 per hectare of cultivation in the programme was not outright cash but rather a supply of inputs of seeds, fertilizers and pesticide with best agronomics trainings for effective and high yielding practice saying the only money given was for land clearing and labour cost which was only N49, 000.00 that were paid in tranches with effective monitoring by BOA staff. 

The CBN established the Anchor Borrowers Programme with a view to collaborating with the anchor companies involved in rice production and processing to help local farmers increase local rice production, increase feedstock for processors as well as reduce importation and conserve Nigeria’s external reserves. 

Under the Scheme, anchor firms were selelcted to serve as off takers taking into cognizance their track records and experience in working with outgrowers involved in rice production. The scheme involves a finance model where the anchor firms, CBN/NIRSAL and state governments will play a role in organizing the out growers and ensuring that they comply with contracts thereby reducing the incident of side selling and other stakeholders assisting in eliminating the challenges faced by rice milling companies in Nigeria.

However, the BOA boss has confirmed his bank as the managing financial institution of the CBN anchor borrowers rice programme in Kebbi saying the network branches of the bank are  formidable factors towards ensuring effective monitoring for success.