CBN Supports 5,676 Wheat Farmers With Agric Inputs In Bauchi
BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – A total of 5,676 wheat farmers participating in the 2021 dry season activities in Bauchi State have received fertilizers and other agricultural inputs from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under its Anchor Borrower Programme (ABP) for farmers.
The inputs were distributed to the farmers at Zirma Bakin, Kogi village in Warji Local Government Area of the state under the ABP which is a critical component of the Federal Government’s agriculture transformation programme aimed at encouraging productivity for self-sufficiency in food production.
It also focuses on enhancing the farmers’ access to inputs, new technologies and agricultural financing as well as encouraging processing, value addition and farmer enterprising skills.
The programme is being implemented by the CBN in partnership with states and consortium of commercial banks through inputs dealers otherwise called “Anchor Clients.”
CBN’s Development Finance Officer (DFO), Bauchi Zonal Office, Mr Aminu Haruna, said farmers in the State have been selected to participate in the programme as part of efforts at accelerating wheat cultivation across the North East state.
According to Haruna; “The wheat farming is introduced by the CBN to assist small holder farmers cultivate wheat towards enhancing food security in the country.
“We are targeting 15,000 wheat farmers in Bauchi State. For now, we have the first batch here and other batches are also coming up soon”.
Mr Haruna also said the wheat cultivation programme is implemented in partnership with the Wheat Farmers, Processors and Marketers’ Association of Nigeria (WFPMAN).
Also speaking at the event, the Bauchi State Coordinator of WFPMAN, Mr Ibrahim Sadiq said the apex bank is distributing inputs to the farmers for them to utilize and improve on their productivity.
Sadiq listed the items given to the farmers as assorted fertilizers; seeds; and chemicals, adding that each of the benefitting farmers would received items worth N360,000 to cultivate one hectare of farmland.
Furthermore, he said the farmers are expected to repay the loan in kind at harvest, adding; “The idea is to boost wheat production, it is about the second largest consumer of our Foreign Exchange, apart from oil. So, we need to farm and we need to feed ourselves,”.
In his remarks, District Head of Warji, Alhaji Alhasan Samaila-Boyi, warned against diversion of the inputs and urged the beneficiaries to effectively utilize them for the purpose of boosting their production.
Reacting to the ABP’s inputs distribution, one of the beneficiaries, Mr Kassim Idris, lauded the gesture, and pledged to work towards achieving higher yields at the next harvest season.
