Ogun Begins Tracking of Anchor Borrower’s Beneficiaries
The government of Ogun State has reiterated its determination to use the federal government-sponsored Anchor Borrowers Programme in the state to boost farmers’ productivity towards achieving increased food production in the country.
Dr Samson Odedina, the State Commissioner for Agriculture, who said this when he led members of the State House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture and Forestry on an on-the-spot assessment tour to cassava plantations at Otete and Ijagba in Yewa North Local Government Area of the state, said the programme will bring about industrialization and job creation for many youths in the state.
According to Odedina, he said that the Prince Dapo Abiodun led-administration has trained no fewer than 3, 500 farmers, who were selected through a transparent and all-inclusive system across the 20 local government areas of the state so as to expect optimum performance from the beneficiaries.
Odedina said, “today, members of Ogun State Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) Steering Committee, House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture and Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA), commenced a joint monitoring exercise for the first batch of 3,500 beneficiaries that were linked to inputs and credits of the Anchor Borrowers Programme.
“The exercise, which is continuing till the month of September 2020, would spread across all LGAs where beneficiaries have planted, are preparing land or awaiting rainfall to commence further land preparation or planting”.
“Ogun State Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), in relation to the vision of the governor, will continue to be exemplary and transparent. These groups of farmers that have been linked are planting on their own farms, late in the season. The linkage will equally continue for farmers requiring land and the process is ongoing”.
He further explained that 127 hectares of land were allotted to the 127 cassava growers in various locations in the state, including Otete, Idagba, Igbogila, Sawonjo and Imasayi in Yewa North. The Commissioner assured all the beneficiaries of the project that one hectare of land will give them about 40 tons as against the 25 tons expected from each beneficiary.
He added, “the Anchor borrower programme is an agricultural opportunity facilitated by his Excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun. This is one of the outcomes of the smart decision that farmers should get to work”.
“Ogun State is operating an exemplary anchor borrower programme and I am proud to say that it is in our state that we have been able to locate farmer to farmer each of the 3,500 cassava growers under the Anchor borrower programme.
“The era of a farmer taking Anchor borrower money and running away with it is over because we are there to assist those farmers when they need it.” The Commissioner, however, said another Federal Government-funded programme is underway to serve as a rewarding model for successful farmers, who are able to meet up with the expectations of the on-going programme.
According to him, the beneficiaries are starting with one hectare each and some of them who are successful with it will be given five hectares of land in the next phase of the programme. If you are able to manage one hectare very well, you will get five hectares, but if you are unable to manage one hectare very well, then, we will continue to encourage you to do more.”
Hon. Yusuf Adejojo, the Vice-Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry on his part assured that there will be more legislations towards sustaining the intervention programmes. In their respective remarks, Akinbode Adeneye, the State Chairman, Nigeria Cassava Growers Association, the beneficiaries of the scheme, Kunle Fashola and Falana Adijat lauded the application and selection processes for the programmes, saying it was an attestation of the transparency and inclusive policy of the present administration as beneficiaries were chosen across religion and ethnic backgrounds.