. Express Gratitude To FG For Ban On Maize Importation
The National President, Maize Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (MAGPAMAN), Dr Edwin Uche, has said that their members have accessed about N13 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP).
Dr Uche said the farmers numbering about 70,000 access these funds and other farm inputs for the 2020 wet season farming.
Speaking with journalists at their National Stakeholders meeting, Dr Uche commended President MuhammaduBuhari and the Central Bank of Nigeria for sustaining the agricultural policy
“Our association has received over N13 billion for the wet season ABP for over 70,000 farmers. We are benefiting from the CBN’s ABP and we are proud to say that President MuhammaduBuhari has done well in sustaining the policy in agriculture, and CBN has done enormously in supporting agriculture in Nigeria.
“So, for us it is a welcome development, we are proud of the program, we are proud of the steps taken by the Federal Government to sustain the tempo of food production in Nigeria”.
Commenting on the recent ban on maize importation by the Federal Government, Dr Uche said the move was long overdue, given the fact that it would create more market for maize farmers in the country.
“It has been one move long overdue, we have been pushing for the ban of maize because as an association, I can always say this categorically, when the right environment is created, right support is given, farmers in Nigeria can grow sufficient maize to support industrial use, local consumption and also for export, so for us, it is a welcome development.
“Our assurance as an association is that we will grow enough maize to support industrial use, we will work hard as a people to make sure that more young men and women are queued into the maize value chain and more maize is grown to bridge the gap and also provide enough to support industrial use.
In the stakeholders meeting, he said “as an association, we are having our National Stakeholders meeting on the implementation of 2020 wet season maize Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP).
“It is a strategic meeting that involves our Stakeholders where we discuss how best to carry out and implement the program so as to be able to achieve the desired objectives.
“For us, agriculture is a business, and for you to do it well, you must plan, and for you to plan, you must have your team on the table. So for us, it is a very wonderful opportunity to have our team kn the table to delibrate on how best to approach agriculture this season.
“ABP is a loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria, and as a loan, our farmers are supposed to take advantage of it, cultivate and also pay back”.
