FG To Support Farmers With Interest Free Loans- Agric Minister

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono, has said that the Federal Government would work with the Central Bank of Nigeria to provide interest free loans to farmers in the country.

He said this while receiving the 2020 Wet agricultural performance survey.

The Survey had shown that effective input subsidization would boost productivity in the agricultural sector.

The minister who received the report in his office noted that it was timely especially in this era of the Covid -19 Pandemic.

The Minister called on Nigerian farmers to intensify efforts and focus on achieving more successes during the dry season farming in order to cushion the loses occasioned by the pandemic.

He said, “The Ministry would support the farmers with agricultural inputs and zero interest loans through the Central Bank of Nigeria and other Financial institutions to mitigate the effect of the COVID – 19 and the recent flooding especially in Kebbi, Jigawa and Kano States.”

The Minister while commending the efforts of the Committee said that the report would serve as a guide to the ministry and farmers in planning and preparing ahead of the commencement of the dry season farming.

The Executive Director, National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services and the National Coordinator of the Survey report, Prof Mohammed Othman presented the report in Abuja.

They said that there is need to increase investment in climate-smart agriculture as well as develop a strategy to strengthen agricultural extension activities.

The report further recommended the development of a definite action plan to stem insecurity issues especially in rural areas.

Other recommendations contained in the report include building lasting and sustainable grassroots extension delivery institutions at the Federal and State Government levels, increasing support to the National farmers helpline as a strategy to boost output, Setting up of an Agricultural Trust Fund to cater for farming activities, especially in periods of emergency, among others.

In his remarks, the Vice- Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Kabir Bala, stated that the institution has initiated the use of over 200 hectares of land in the University for direct crops, livestock and fisheries production.

“This is our own way of contributing to the attainment of national food security goal,” he added.