Yusuf Gawuna, Kano State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, says the administration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is implementing an initiative aimed at encouraging farmers in the state to promptly repay loans they obtained for agricultural activities.
Gawuna disclosed that the initiative was fashioned out to correct the wrong notion which most farmers in the state have about obtaining agriculture loans which they see as their own share of national cake.
He noted that the initiative which is being implemented in partnership with the leadership of the state chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) is helping to increase the rate of loan repayment from the 4 percent it was before the advent of the Ganduje administration.
The disclosure of the about the initiative is coming on the heels of an announcement made by the state government that the sum of N132 million is to be released to the AFAN in the state for the implementation of a new Tractors Acquisition Scheme.
According to the commissioner, his ministry was forced to introduce the loan repayment arrangement as way of encouraging the farmers to move away from the prevailing entrenched culture of not repaying agriculture loans obtained from government financial institutions
Speaking as a Guest of Honour at a 5-day capacity development training programme organised by Nigeria Incentive –based Risk Sharing for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), which was concluded over the weekend in Kano, he revealed that the initiative was primarily introduced to help farmers access more loans from government sources.
Commenting on the capacity building programme of NIRSAL, Gawuna expressed delight with the composition of participants at the event which according to him, were drawn from public and private players in agricultural development.
Gawuna charged participants to use the platform which the training offers to come out with better ways through which loans being giving out by the Federal Government under the Anchor –Borrowers Scheme can be guarantee across the agricultural value –chain.
He said a system of loan guarantee along the value-chain would go a long way in reduce the growing incidences of loan defaults being experience on the part of farmers that benefitted under the Anchor-Borrowers Scheme.
Babagana Mustapha, head of the Kano office, project monitoring reporting and remediation office (PMRO) disclosed that the capacity development programme was conceived by the agency, as one of the practical means of fashioning out how to assist players in the agricultural sector to increase their productivity.
He noted that the agency, resolved to embark on the capacity development programme as a result of a study it conducted which identified inadequate capacity on the part of players, as one of the critical factors hampering the effective development of the Nigeria Agriculture industry.
“Capacity building is one of the five core-mandates of NIRSAL, and the capacity development programme which we are starting today is primarily conceived to help participating stakeholders come to term with new technology, skills and competencies in the development of agriculture along the value –chain.
“Programmes of this nature are imperative, this is because it is becoming very clear that we as nation cannot continue to depend on out-dated techniques, if we are to adequately feed our growing population” Babagana stated.
According to the agency, participants in the programme, who are drawn from the various segments of the agricultural sub-sectors, would during the event attempt to proffer solutions to some of the challenges confronting the development of agriculture along the various value chains.
Adeola Ajakaiye, Kano
