By Rabiu Saniali
Hadejia – Some farmers in Hadejia, Jigawa, have commended the Federal Government for introducing the Anchor Borrower scheme to enhance farmer support services in the country.
They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Hadejia in separate interviews that the gesture would accelerate rice and wheat production.
The Anchor Borrower scheme is a critical component of the agriculture transformation agenda of the Federal Government designed to enhance farmers’ access to inputs and financing.
It is also designed to encourage agricultural mechanisation, processing and entrepreneurial skills.
The programme is being executed in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) , the Federal Government and state governments.
Alhaji Yusuf Abdullahi, a farmer, said the programme had assisted and encouraged farmers to produce more due to the availability of farm inputs.
Abdullahi said government had distributed fertilisers, seeds and chemicals to registered farmers for the rain-fed and irrigation activities.
He added that “fertilisers, seeds, chemicals and inputs are distributed through the farmer clusters in major rice and wheat producing areas.
“Farmers now access fertilisers and inputs at ease, as the scheme also deals with scarcity and protect farmers from exorbitant prices at markets.”
Another farmer, Dauda Abubakar, also commended government for training farmers in
modern farming techniques, chemical spray and rice processing.
Abubakar said that the gesture, which was also a component of the scheme,
would enhance farmers’ skills, add value to produce, as well as ensure food sufficiency in the country.
Statistics from the Jigawa Ministry of Agriculture shows that 36,250 farmer groups have
registered under the Anchor Borrower scheme in the state.
The state government had also spent N439 million on implementation of the programme, and distributed fertilisers, seeds and chemicals on loans to farmers during the past cropping season.
