Nigerian Farmers Call for Urgent Re-appraisal of CBN Anchor Borrowers’ Programme

Nigerian Farmers Call for Urgent Re-appraisal of CBN Anchor Borrowers’ Programme

The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to review the implementation template of the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) in order to have a more robust and lasting impact on the lives of smallholder farmers across the country.

Fielding questions from journalists in a media parley in Abuja on Tuesday, the National President of AFAN, Arc. Kabir Ibrahim, said the programme is a well-intentioned one which would have been more impactful if the real farmers and stakeholders were carried along.

He added that there was little or no consultation with the private sector before the ABP was commenced, adding that the implementation pattern is not comprehensive enough to have desired effect on the agricultural landscape of the country.

“For example, how many farmers were consulted when they were starting the programme? How many real operators were involved or contacted? Even in disbursing the monies, how many real farmers benefited? How do we know that all the beneficiaries were genuine farmers?” he asked.

Ibrahim, who doubles as the Chairman, Administrative Board of the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG), informed the audience about an encounter with CBN top management in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital, where he said he and other stakeholders tabled the issues and posed the above questions to the apex bank officials, adding that going forward, the programme has to be reviewed to serve the intended purpose.

He questioned the rationale for limiting the scope of the programme to about 2 million farmers, adding that former Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, who is now the head of the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), had a vision for 14.5 million farmers which he said would have captured a larger group and brought better results.

He also complained of policy inconsistencies and lack of continuity, saying successive CBN governors always have different agendas in the area of fiscal interventions.

The AFAN president, therefore, called for institutionalization of the ABP since everyone agrees that agriculture is the future of the country’s economy, adding that the Ministry of Agriculture is better positioned than the CBN to manage the scheme henceforth.

Speaking earlier, the President of the NABG, Emmanuel Ijewere, said the programme has succeeded in reducing some of the problems farmers are facing across the country but it has to evolve and embrace new implementation strategies since it is not meant to be a permanent panacea.

By PRNigeria