Loan recovery: BOA to use mobile court

*flags off farming season

BOA MD, Alhaji Kabiru Mohammed Adamu in blue suit & green tie, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, Secretary to Kano State Government in white cap & white kaftan and others during a tour to the Exhibition stands at the 2018 Farming Season flag -off ceremony held at the Bagauda Agric Show Ground Kano State.

As a means to prompt recovery, the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) management has promised to deplore the use of mobile courts across the country against defaulters saying this would step up the food security situation of the country as many other farmers can as well be able to benefit in the facility.

This was the statement made by the Managing Director, BOA, Alhaji Kabiru Adamu at the median edition of the farming season flag-off ceremony for the 37 states of the Federation held at the Bagauda Agric Show ground, Kano state.

Alhaji Kabiru Adamu said that the bank would do everything to recover the money owed by farmers so as to  help others who are in need of finance for their business, noting that a recovery mission with a mobile court has been set up to recover about N60 billion already disbursed to farmers who have refused to pay back saying that “If a farmer collects money and refuses to pay back, how will the bank be able to fund others who wish to collect money for their agricultural projects towards further driving of the economy?

BOA boss pointed that the loan facility is to be paid by farmers within one year period so as to enable others to benefit stressing that measures are already in place to recover back all unpaid loans using the mobile courts across the country for defaulters “We are planning to open more branches in each local government headquarters within two years that will be befitting in the bank’s status thereby meeting with the needs of farmers.  But how do we do that when the huge amount is outside as some farmers will collect these monies and we will not be able to get them because they would have changed their addresses and all that’’

He added that the trend was more common with men while the women were always prompt in paying back pointing that the disbursement of the loan was part of the Federal Government (FG) effort to boost the agriculture towards commercialization and checkmating foods import especially in the rice cultivation.

The MD said that the bank strongly identify with the FG and the Kano state government on their efforts to diversify the economy using agriculture as he assured the public that farmers would henceforth have easy access to finance at a reasonable term, pointed that the bank is now growing beyond credit administration to the use of integrated ICT that would ensure agricultural transformation with easy access to rural finance services.

He stressed that the farming season flag-off would empower the less privilege, especially youths and women to have access to more land for productive purpose as the bank is already holding talk with the government to introduce land banking.

The Secretary of the Kano State government Alhaji Usman Alhaji, who represented the Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje said that it was a great honor to have held the 2018 farming season flag-off in the state, noting that the historic event would boost food production in the country.

Alhaji Alhaji added that strengthening finance to farmers in the region was right, pointing that more jobs and wealth will be created as more support is given to the people of Kano whose major occupation is farming. He however canvassed that more youth and women should be involved and trained in various aspect of agriculture for the 2018 farming season flag-off.

However, the Chairman of the All Farmers Association (AFAN) Alhaji Idris Zakari on behalf of his members appreciated the effort of the government and BOA in choosing Kano state for the 2018 farming season flag-off.

Zakari used the opportunity to call on the government to subsidise the loans giving to farmers,noting that farm equipment should be subsidised to assist farmers during the farming season, while healso decried diversion of funds by his members, urged the BOA to ensure proper orientation before loans were disbursed.