BoA, IFAD to boost funding for Nigerian farmers

Danbala Danju

Officials of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) are collaborating with the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) to scale up farmers’ participation in its Anchor Borrower Programme to increase agricultural productivity in the country.

BoA Managing Director, Prof. Danbala Danju, told journalists that the Bank has intensified activities on how farmers in the country would benefit from agricultural loans, shortly after a meeting with IFAD officials in Kaduna.

He said: “The collaboration with IFAD will help the bank address the challenges it faces in capturing the biometrics of farmers, their farm sizes and location, as well as, the crops they are growing. It will also address the challenges of Bank Verification Number (BVN), being experienced and computer training for staff and building of a databank.”

Earlier, IFAD Country Representative in Nigeria, Tsoda Asuko, while highlighting areas of support to Nigeria, said that the Fund envisaged the Institution would assist the bank in training farmers and strengthen off-takers under its RUFIN programme being implemented in some 12 states.