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The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has said that the bank has disbursed N300 billion to the Southern part of the country.
He said the fund was removed from the N700billion earmarked for the Anchor Borrowers Programme for the expansion of food production .
Emefiele, disclosed this while unveiling the first rice pyramid in the Southwest in Ado Ekiti,along side six state governors,who described the programme as a good vision that would reduce import and make Nigeria fully independent in food production.
He debunked rumours that some of the agriculture boosting programmes of President Buhari are concentrated in a section of the country.
He said the Anchor Borrowers programme has expanded agriculture production for 21 crops across the states of Nigeria.
According to him,over three million farmers were being financed in production of varieties of products that can improve the economy, provide jobs and increase Nigeria’s imports for foreign exchange earnings .
He said he understood that there was prohibition of land clearing in the Southwest, adding that some governors have accessed a sum of N1.5 billion each to undertake such policy in their states .
He also said:”Agriculture is profitable today in Nigeria and we will strive to make it profitable for all. We will try to make farm mechanisation readily available to our farmers . We are not only doing rice, we are supporting cocoa, palm tree. Provision of rural access roads is also part of our target.The people of the Southwest must make use of the coming wet season for bountiful harvest”.
Emefiele said farmers will be granted loan to acquire solar system plant to help production and processing of their products .
He added that:”The CBN is ready to make agriculture attractive to the youths and we will facilitate the programme that can ease access to credit facilities , so that their enthusiasm for farming can be realised.Our future is bright as a country, but we must take those good concept that can make us attain self sufficient in food production but attaining this will not come easy or cheaply. Let us continue to enter into partnership for us to achieve this”.
In his goodwill message ,the Governor of Kebbi and Co-Chairman, National Council on Food Security, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, said the success of the rice production was due to strong collaboration between the federal government, especially CBN and the governors.
He added that the programme has been a police guidance of the President Buhari supported by CBN to finance the agribusiness and ensure food security in rice production.
“This is a testament to the the clarion call by President Buhari that all the States and Abuja are capable of growing rice. What this revolution is about is that, we should produce what we consume and still have surplus for revenue earnings.
“The government has been able to escape two economic downturn caused by the Covid 19 due to our success in agriculture. Nigeria is a great country and this is a testimony to this .
“We will continue to reward those who are hardworking because Nigeria is blessed with hardworking people who only need support, so that they can do better. The Bureau of Statistics just released some statistics that food inflation is going down. We are having more production and processing with improved food supply”.
In his remarks,Governor Kayode Fayemi,said President Muhammadu Buhari has demonstrated capacity to tackle poverty and reduce dependence on foreign food by many of his initiatives in agriculture sector
He added that rice clearing, production of seedling and farm implements at low interest will enhance rice value chain from primary producers to processors.
“It will also help in tackling poverty and insecurity, enhance economic diversification, foreign exchange earnings and forex policy and curtail cross border banditry.In the past , Ekiti is recognised as a rice producing state. We want to change the narrative and restore the lost glory by moving farming from mere subsistent to profitable business, that was why we are mobilising our farmers to benefit from the Rice Borrowers Programme.
“We want to increase rice production in Ekiti from 473,000 metric tonnes annually to 1.5 million metric tonnes . We are doing this in partnership with JMK, Dangote and Stallion Rice Mills, their plants are already in Ekiti. We are directly producing 12,000 jobs for our farmers, who will in turn provide jobs for another 50,000 persons between now and 2023”.
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