Jude Chinedu, Enugu
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has embarked on a massive drive aimed at ensuring that farmers and other critical stakeholders in the South East participate in this year’s dry season farming activities.
The apex bank, which bemoaned the failure of farmers in the region to take advantage of government approved programmes aimed at boosting food production, urged them to utilize the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) as it is done in other regions.
Speaking at the CBN 2020 Dry Season Anchor Borrowers’ Stakeholders programme attended by over 300 farmers, bankers, insurance and other service providers in Enugu on Thursday, the Deputy Director, Development Finance Department of the bank, Chief Edwin Nzelu, said the bank aims at getting everyone in the South East involved in making food available all year round.
In his address, the Branch Controller, CBN Enugu, Chief Chiedozie Okonjo, who highlighted the peculiarities of the 5-year-old scheme, said that it was aimed at providing farm inputs in kind and cash to smallholder farmers to boost production of commodities, stabilize inputs supply to agro-processors to address food shortage.
He added that the need for dry season farming could not be overemphasized in the South East, “especially with the ravaging effect of COVID-19 and the resultant food shortages. The essence of this stakeholders’ engagement is to enhance participation in the CBN dry season ABP in the South Eastern zone of Nigeria.”