Newly elected President of National Association for Sorghum Producers and Processors Exporters and Marketers (NASPPEM), Alhaji Muhammad Babayo Maina |
‘We will
ensure that members get loan for wet season farming’
Recently, Foodfarmnews had a chat with the newly
elected president of National Association for Sorghum Producers and Processors
Exporters and Marketers (NASPPEM), Alhaji Muhammad Babayo Maina where he
promised better working conditions for members of his association and much
more. Excerpts...
What should we expect from you as the
new President of your association?
As the
president of National Association for Sorghum Producers and Processors Exporters
and Marketers (NASPPEM), I will want to change farming perception from
developmental project to seeing agriculture as business thereby we emphasize on
commercial production to wealth creation for members.
This association is
formed by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) to
reflect the importance the government attach to value addition of all
agricultural produce for both local consumption and export. I will strive to
bringing producers, processors and marketers together for a common goal of
wealth and job creation in a commercial way thereby moving from subsistence
practice to commercial agriculture that will enable us access to Central Bank
of Nigeria (CBN) anchor agricultural loan.
How do you really want to attract
this loan to farmers, processors and marketers at same time?
Anchor
programme is a programme that is domiciled with CBN, and the major Associations
have been able to access this loan. Associations like Rice Farmers Association
of Nigeria (RIFAN), Maize Association of Nigeria (MAN) and North East Commodity
Associations (NECAs) and farmers have shown they have the capacity to take loan
and be able to pay back.
Give us the experience of what NECA
did with CBN?
NECA went
into agreement with CBN by taking loans which they distributed to members based
on the numbers of farmer’s acreage
together with inputs using the extension services to support them from
ploughing to clearing, planting and harvesting.
The entire loan taken has been
returned with their produce because there were problem of market. So NECA pay
back with produce instead of catch so as to encourage farmers to go back to
farming.
How much was given to NECA by CBN?
In the last
wet season, NECA was able to collect 9.2 billion naira that was distributed to
farmers and loans return is already done.
Are you saying you want to replicate
NECA style in your own association?
Yes. That is
exactly what i want to do for our members to benefit with assurance to
repayment.
How shortly or soon would this your
plan for the association starts?
By the grace
of God if everything goes right, we want to do it 2019 wet season.
How connected are you with your other
executives?
Yes, my team
is formidable. The team is geographically spread all over the country. The
three actors of the association which are farmers, processors and marketers are
deeply involved as they are part of the executive and Board of Trustees and we
are working harmoniously with Federation of Commodity Associations (FACAN) and
FMITI.
We can prove to the world that we are going to do our best by God’s
grace to deliver to better sorghum productivity by fully harness the potentials
at all the value chains of the crop because our objective is to ensure market
for farmers, processor and marketers towards high GDP.
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