The Central Bank Of Nigeria (CBN) has distributed fertilisers and other inputs to 5,676 wheat farmers for the 2021 dry season activities in Bauchi State.
The inputs were distributed to the farmers at Zirma Bakin, Kogi village in Warji Local Government Area of the state under the Federal Government’s Anchor Borrower Programme (ABP, which is the critical component of the Federal Government’s agriculture transformation programmes aimed at encouraging productivity to achieve self-sufficiency in food production.
It also focused at enhancing 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, Aminu Haruna said that farmers in the state have been selected to participate in the programme to accelerate wheat cultivation.
“The wheat farming is introduced by the CBN to assist small holder farmers to cultivate wheat towards enhancing food security in the country.
“We are targeting 15,000 wheat farmers in Bauchi State, now we have the first batch here and other batches are also coming up soon.
According to him, the wheat cultivation programme is being implemented in collaboration with the Wheat Farmers, Processors and Marketers’ Association of Nigeria (WFPMAN).
In his remarks, Bauchi State Coordinator of the association, Ibrahim Sadiq said that the apex bank would distribute inputs to the farmers to enable them to improve their productivity.
Sadiq listed the items to include assorted fertilisers, seeds and chemicals, adding that each of the benefitting farmers recieved items worth N360,000 to cultivate one hectre of land.
He said the farmers are expected to repay the loan in kind at harvest.
“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.”
The District Head of Warji, Alhaji Alhasan Samaila-Boyi warned against diversion of the inputs and urged the beneficiaries to utilise the inputs to boost their production.
One of the beneficiaries, Kassim Idris, lauded the gesture, and pledged to work towards achieving higher yields at harvest.
Source: NAN.
