Twenty-six thousand farmers in Gombe State are to access over N5 billion loans and farm inputs from the Central Bank of Nigeria to boost production for this year dry season farming.
Alhaji Abubakar Buba-Biri, the Gombe State Commissioner for Agriculture, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Gombe on Wednesday.
He said that 18, 000 rice farmers and 8, 000 tomatoes farmers, who could be cultivating at least one hectare of crops, would benefit from the programme.
Buba-Biri said: “We expect 26, 000 farmers that will access the facilities if all of them are able to fulfill the conditions from documentation up to bank procedures.
“CBN will provide the funds through Bank of Agriculture and any commercial bank that are interested.”
Buba-Biri advised the farmers, who were interested in accessing the facilities, to register and ensure that they belong to cooperatives society.
“We are calling on farmers to come to the ministry to introduce their cooperative to access the facilities as the loan is one digit interest.”
He said, the farm inputs include fertiliser, seeds, water pump and improve seeds, especially for tomatoes and rice.
According to him, the state government is putting in place measures to ensure the success of the programme.
Buba-Biri said the only solution to food insecurity in the country is by producing more food in the country by governments, private sectors and individual during rainy and dry season farming.
He stressed the need for the government to provide farming inputs and high yielding seeds.
The commissioner said that agriculture would provide the raw material to the nation’s industries to boost their capacity, produce sufficient food for the citizen and for exportation.
Business 26,000 farmers to access over N5b loans, farm inputs in Gombe –...
