No fewer than 9,000 Abuja farmers have been registered to participate in the Anchor Borrowers programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The Acting Secretary in the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration, Dr Musa A. Aliyu who announced this at a news briefing, said that 16 Eillage Extension Agents and 800 farmers from the Area Councils have been trained and will be issued certificates on the day of formal launching in the FCT.
The Anchor Borrowers programme, he explained, is targeted at small holder farmers who are into crops where FCT enjoys comparative advantage like rice and soya beans production.
“In line with the mandate of this sub sector in driving programmes in the agricultural sector, the FCT Agricultural Development Project continued to provide innovative advisory services on global agricultural best fit technologies to about 200,000 farming families. The achievements so far include: The average yield of rice increased from 2.0 metric tons/hectare to 3.5 metric tons per hectare; cassava witnessed upward review from 16 metric tons/hectare to 20 metric tons/hectare.”
Dr Aliyu said the FCT Administration has also strengthened the capacity of 2000 farmers associations by way of training and linkage to agricultural finance.
“The FCT ADP continued to collaborate with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Competitive Africa Rice Imitative, British America Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, United States Agency for International Development, Food and Agricultural Organization, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Central Bank of Nigeria, Notore Fertilizer Company, National Association of Nigeria Traders etc.”
The Secretary said that pest management control has helped to curtail the spread of the tomato pest otherwise referred to as “Tuta Absoluta” which affected to farmers in 2016.
On the release of counterpart funding for the World Bank/Fadama III additional financing programme, Dr Aliyu said that FCT Minister approved the release of the counterpart funding for the commencement of the World Bank-assisted Fadama III Additional Financing project.
Already, about 200 farmer groups have been registered to benefit from the project, saying: “the success recorded during implementation of the project informed the decision of government to seek extension of the project period to December 2017, with an additional financing of $200 million which is hinged on ramping up production and development of the value chains for four selected staple crops which are Rice, Sorghum, Cassava and Horticulture (tomato).
“Third National Fadama Development Project Additional Financing (FADAMA III AF) came into effect by 2014 nationally. However, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the project did not take off due to the non-payment of outstanding counterpart fund (part 2011, 2012 and 2013).
“The Honourable Minister of FCT, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello on assumption to the mantle of FCTA leadership immediately saw the need to enable FCT Fadama III AF to come to effect, thus approved the immediate payment of outstanding amounts up to 2013.
“In order to boost fish production, the FCT was selected as one of the 5 states to benefit in the cage fish farming project. The Honourable Minister has already directed the Secretariat to key into the project and ensure that youths and fisher-folk communities are carried along.
“To develop and manage forest resources on a sustainable basis, the FCTA in line with its forest conservation policy, raised 30,000 seedlings of different species of forest trees in Bako Bwari Nurseries and distributed to schools and individuals for planting.” [myad]
