Farmers under the aegis the All Farmers Association of Nigeria have said the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria is faulty as it does not benefit the majority of the farmers in Nigeria.
The association added that although the Programme was well-intentioned, there was a need for a full review of the programme in order to make it more effective and sustainable.
The National President of AFAN, Kabir Ibrahim, said this during a media parley with journalists organised by the Nigeria Agribusiness Group in Abuja on Tuesday.
He further called on the CBN to review the implementation template of the ABP for the benefit of farmers across the country.
Ibrahim said, “If the CBN Anchor Borrowers’ Programme is reaching out to, maybe, two million farmers, what does that mean out of 14.5 million? We told them that, of these two million you are talking about, how did you reach them? Are they real farmers? Go and do your homework. Be sure they are real farmers through the farmers’ association. If you showcase a pyramid for everybody to see, the rice must be in your own house at a cheaper rate.
“What it means is that the Anchor Borrowers Programme, even though lofty and laudable, has got so many gaps that should be closed. You must be able to produce and harness such that the common man in Nigeria feels the impact of what you are doing.
“So, the CBN is hereby being called upon to reappraise the Anchor Borrowers scheme and make it more sustainable. Maybe put it around the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.”
He also said that there was little or no consultation with the private sector before the ABP was commenced, adding that the implementation pattern was not comprehensive enough to have the desired effect in the country.
Speaking earlier during the media parley, the President of the NABG, Emmanuel Ijewere, said the programme had helped in reducing some of the challenges farmers encounter but still needs to be reformed for better impact.
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