Dry season farming: Anchor Borrower Scheme (ABS) to the rescue
Dry season farming in the past was a mere subsistence farming until of recent when it was turned to means of livelihood through CBN intervention fund writes SINA FADARE
Climate change all over the world has a lot of influence on the agricultural value chain either in a positive or negative way. This has to do with the rainfall which to a larger extent determine agricultural yield at the end of the year. Though this type of dependency on rainfall is peculiar to Africa method of farming for many years until recently when there is a paradigm shift to irrigation farming particularly during the dry season.
In other clime this situation has always been in check as a lot of mechanisms and new innovations in farming are put in place to check these excesses if need be and to have a technological driven agricultural base that will guaranteed adequate wetting of agricultural field throughout the year.
Perhaps thinking along this line of a paradigm shift, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through its Anchor Borrower Scheme (ABS) decided to assist dry season farmers in order to utilize this period for a productive venture on their farm thereby increasing food production in the county. However, in the last year of the coronavirus crisis, this program was halted and now picking up where it hanged.
During the fifth anniversary of the programme, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, explained the ABS programme is a Federal Government Initiative with the objective of bridging the gap between small scale farmers and the financial sector in the country.
He emphasised that the programme was targeted towards the diversification of the economy by improving the output of rural farmers adding that about 2,923,937 farmers have benefitted from the Programme, while 3,647,643 hectares been cultivated by farmers with 21 commodity sectors as a pilot scheme.
According to the apex bank, in the 2020 wet season Banks under the CBN-RIFAN partnership financed 221,450 farmers for the cultivation of 221,450 hectares in 32 States.
On the overall success of the Anchor Programme, the CBN Governor stated that the popular rhetoric of agriculture being a neglected sector in the Nigerian economy is now a thing of the past. He stressed the need for Nigeria to start building up its agricultural reserves so as to be in a strong position when the rainy days arrive.
Coming from the background of the effect of a pandemic on the agricultural sector in general, Emefiele pointed out that “Covid-19 and the associated lockdowns globally have shown that nations only export out of their reserves. Let us start building our own reserves now.
“The rhetoric around neglect of previous years will remain part of our history and the best time to correct those mistakes is now and every stakeholder must contribute their quota to guarantee the realization of these national targets.
Explaining the journey so far, as of January this year, the apex bank disclosed that lt has disbursed N554.61 billion to 2, 849,490 farmers to boost food security under its Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) beginning from 2015. Emefiele emphasized that out of the amount, N61.02 billion was disbursed to 353,370 dry season farmers.
With this step according to a vegetable farmer, Mallam Abubakar Musa who has been involved in dry season farming in the last three years said the gap to provide food and vegetable throughout the year is filled.
Musa who was introduced to dry season farming through another farmer explained that they formed a vegetable association in order to benefit from the largess from the CBN noted that it has assisted him to plant vegetables throughout the year-round not minding if there is rain or not particularly during the dry season.
He explained that most of their members scattered along the riverbank in Lagos to do dry season farming and along the line, it has been a huge success since funds could be accessed from the CBN through the association.
Speaking in the same vein, Alhaji Nuhu Gidado, member of the Maize Growers, Farmers and Manufacturers Association ((MAGFAMAN) explained that the CBN intervention particularly on dry season farming was the right decision at the right time
Gidado who has his maize plantation through irrigation in Niger state said there is a need for the CBN to expand the scope of their funding adding that if this is done, dry season farmers will be encouraged to put more efforts in order to get bountiful production within the stipulated time.
He explained that since the weather cannot be predictable this day, it is better to concentrate all energies towards dry season farming where the farmers have absolute control, adding that all things been equal maize could be planted three times within a year and it will increase food production at the long run.
He argued that local farmers can meet the demand of the local consumption of maize if there is consistency in CBN intervention fund, noting that the period of pandemic really shook the association to its foundation because local farmers cannot just meet up in its production capacity.
“But the situation is now better and we are hoping for a better planting season as soon as the rain is around, to fill this gap all the maize produced during the dry season will be an advantage in the maize value chain”
While speaking to the Nation on the impact of dry season farming, Dr. Olumuyiwa Daniel an agriculturist explained that the recent intervention of the CBN on dry farming project has been long overdue noting that it was a right decision at the right time.
Daniel explained that in advanced countries a comprehensive agricultural scheme are put in place to the extent that there are planting and harvesting of grains throughout the year. According to him this is done through mechanized irrigation farming system and the farmers are at the centre of it all.
He pointed out that since the weather is so unpredictable in this part of the globe and to make matter worst, agriculture has been neglected for so long,” this has created a big vacuum in the agricultural chain value to the extent that it threatens our food security”
“But with this intervention fund here and there, which has been consistent in the last three years, it’s obvious that things are improving in terms of food security in Nigeria This tempo should be sustained especially in the area of prompt release of the money as at when needed because farming is a game of time.”
While admonishing the general role of the apex bank in rolling out intervention funds towards agriculture, Mr. Olorode Taiwo cautioned that the fund should be carefully monitored and makes sure the peasant farmers and those who actually needed it to get it at the long run
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) OF Ejire Agro-Allied Company in Lagos explained that there is nothing wrong if the country can go back to the drawing board by making agriculture her topmost priority as it was done in the past.
According to him “Available statistics indicated that crude oil exports fetched Nigeria only N8.8 million at independence in 1960 and this constituted just about 2.7 per cent of total export earnings, while non-oil exports amounted to N321.2 million, constituting 97.3 percent of total exports in the same period. But by 1976, the table turned and the value of oil exports increased astronomically to N6, 321.6 million, constituting 93.6 per cent of total exports”
He lamented that if the tempo had been maintained till now, the country would have been a food basket for all the other African states. “The hope is not lost with the current impetus given to agriculture particularly the direct intervention funds from the CBN, this will go a long way to reposition our farmers and encourage them to be a major player in the agricultural value chain.”
Taiwo argued that this is the time when all hands should be on deck to make sure that the country exploits all its agricultural potentials in order to generate employment opportunity for most of the youths who were roaming about on the street.
“The CBN should take a step further by directly engaging the youths through the dedicated fund to take agriculture to the next level especially in the area of commercial and dry season farming which will make a lot of them an employer of labour in a matter of months.”
One of the beneficiaries under the Agric Business Small and Medium Enterprises investment Scheme, Mrs. Olaore Badmus said the experience has given her the opportunity to expand the scope of her business.
“l was into cassava processing and when l got the opportunity to access the CBN fund, l decided to have my own cassava farm in order to enlarge my scope. Apart from the fact that most of my products are being exported, l can tell you that the experience was very good.
“My last year harvest was encouraging and l hopes to double it as soon as l am able to sort out the issue of land. Land is a major challenge and the issue of herdsmen who are using their cows to destroy our farm, some of my colleagues did not have a good story to tell on the account of this. This is the area we want the government to assist us,” she explained.
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