Bauchi Government Trains Anchor Borrowers

Mukhtar Muhammad Mk

Bauchi state Ministry of Agriculture have  trained the beneficiaries of the Anchor Borrowers’ programme.

Anchor Borrowers’, a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) initiated programme aimed at lifting of small farmers out of poverty and generate millions of jobs for unemployed Nigerians.

In Bauchi State, About 16, 000 farmers have been selected to participate in the state’s Anchor Borrowers Programme for the 2017 rice production scheme.

Selected farmers have undergone training on the best agronomic practices across all the 20 local government areas in the state. The training organized by state’s ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources with the objective of teaching the farmers how to successfully manage their farms.

Speaking at the kick up of the training in Azare the headquarters of Katagum Local Government, the commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources Honourable Ghali Ma’aji Abdulhamid, expressed his satisfaction with the commitment of Bauchi State farmers towards building post oil economy.

He further commended President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar for their determination to prove that they can govern better than the erstwhile presidents and governors respectively.

The commissioner however urged farmers to be fully involved in the training adding that the banks would not give loan to farmers who failed to participate in the ongoing training.

Ghali also said at the end of the training, there will also be a town hall meeting where a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will be signed by the buyers of the produce (rice) called ‘up-takers’, the farmers and the inputs providers. He also said they have already commissioned the providers to supply seeds, pumping machines, agro-chemicals and fertiliser.

A beneficiary who spoke to Bauchi Radio Cooperation Rabi’u Garba Agogo expressed his satisfaction with what he called a hitch free procedures followed by the Federal and State governments and prayed that this success will accompany the programme to the last lap. He therefore enjoined the beneficiaries of the programme to effectively utilize the money, seeds, tools and the experience describing it as the only way they can contribute in the change mantra of president Muhammadu Buhari and Governor MA Abubakar.

After leaving Azare, the commissioner also visited Itas Gadau, Jama’are, Ningi and Warji local governments to supervise the conduct of the training.