The Maize Association of Nigeria says it will involve no fewer than 500,000 of its members in the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme in 2019.
The National President of MAAN, Alhaji Bello Abubakar, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja that last year, 38,000 of its members participated in the programme.
Abubakar said: “Last year, we participated with just 38,000 farmers from 19 states as a pilot system with 55,000 hectares cultivated under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme.
“This year, our target is 500,000 farmers nationwide with an estimated one million hectares.
“We aim to produce 25 million tonnes of maize.
“We want to involve all the 36 states of the federation, this year.
“In areas or states where maize is not cultivated, we will encourage them to start producing.
“In areas where maize is produced in small quantities, we want to improve their production through this programme so that they will double their production this year.”
The MAAN president said for any farmer to be eligible to participate in the programme, he or she must provide his name and bank account details.
Other requirements, Abubakar said, are Bank Verification Number, farm location, number of farm hectares before his farm can be mapped.
He added: “It is a soft loan with only nine per cent interest.
“So this loan will be given in kind, not in cash.
“There is no cash component in this programme.
“It is only the services that will be rendered to the farmers, and all the required inputs right from the beginning to the end of the harvest will be provided.
“Even the empty bags that you will put your produce, your grains, will be provided.
“Thereafter, all the services and all the inputs supplied to you will be calculated, and then the service provider and the input supplier will be paid on behalf for the farmer.
“At the end, the farmer will now pay what she was given by the grains that he produced from his farm.
“That is why this is a very good system in assisting and promoting agricultural production in Nigeria, not only in maize.”
Abubakar appealed to government at all levels to double their efforts in assisting maize farmers in 2019 by buying up their produce. (NAN)
