Maize Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (MAGPAMAN), has commended the Federal Government for its revolution in the agricultural sector, through Anchor Borrower Programme.
Alhaji Modibbo Nafada, the National Vice President of MAGPAMAN, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Gombe State.
Nafada said that government’s effort in providing loans and farming inputs to farmers was good for agricultural development.
He disclosed that some of the members of the association had been receiving farming inputs for 2018/2019 dry season.
According to Nafada, the association has over 40,000 members in Gombe State who have keyed into the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, private and other programmes from the state government.
He noted that with such efforts in place, the state government was revolutionising the sector by empowering the farmers to produce the food to feed the nation and for export.
“This administration has come to help farmers, especially maize farmers, as we have it in Gombe State. We appreciate the efforts of the Federal government through the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme to support farmers.
“This kind of support has given the farmers in Gombe State the capacity to produce food that will help Nigeria in terms of feeding itself and having for exports.
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“Today, we produce more maize in Gombe State. There has been provision of inputs to farmers and we in MAGPAMAN are ensuring that farmers are making judicious use of them to be able to pay back the loans and move out of poverty.
“Even the state government has also done a lot in assisting farmers. This has made appreciable boost to the economy and enhanced farmers’ well being.
“Many maize farmers are coming to register with MAGPAMAN to get government’s support.
“So we are very much satisfied with the kind of conscious efforts to develop the agricultural sector which is working and must be sustained to guarantee food security for the nation,’’ he said.
Nafada said that he was also aware of government’s partnership with the Brazilian government to get more tractors and other equipment to modernise farming which he noted would help farmers boost agricultural production.
He, therefore, urged government to fast-track its efforts in its agricultural revolution.
According to him, the effort will sustain the ongoing reforms in mechanised farming and encourage the youth to take interests in agriculture.
He, however, appealed to the state government to distribute farming inputs for the 2019/2020 wet season early to give farmers more time to prepare before the rain.
NAN reports that beneficiaries of the 2018/2019 dry season farming input were given four bags of fertiliser, 30kg of improved variety of seed, water pump, organic fertiliser and insecticide for hectare of land. (NAN)