Not less than 10 million farmers have so far been registered by the Federal Government on database, more than doubling the 4.2 million figure captured in 2013.
Also, the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Government has increased Nigerian Farmers’ Net Income by 174 billion naira due to its activity in five Value Chains, namely Cassava, Rice (Dry Season and Rainy Season), Sorghum, Maize and Cotton.
The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku made these known on Friday in Abuja while briefing the media on the recent development in the Agricultural Sector of the economy in continuation of the monthly World Press Conference Series, which was introduced by his Ministry.
Maku who attributed the success stories being recorded in the sector topolicies put in place by President Goodluck Jonathan with the help of Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina said it was government’s desire to put agriculture back on the economic map.
He said, “Government policies produced the agricultural wonders we saw in the 60s. We are a net importer of food. Dr. Adesina is addressing this gap in our agriculture by implementing new policies that will help farmers produce more food for Nigeria
“Marketing Boards and extension services were instruments which the 1st Republic Administration used to record the famed land mark records in Agriculture. These instruments were employed in the Agriculture Transformation Agenda by the present Administration.
Mr. Maku noted that as a result of the policies initiatives of government, N15 billion ($100 million) worth of fertilizers were sold directly to farmers via e-wallet system.
The Minister further informed that the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES) which is one of the many critical components of the ATAsaved the Federal Government the sum of 25 billion naira ($156 million) in 2012 adding that zero percent default rate was recorded on GES Loans.
He equally disclosed that commercial banks lent about N3.7 billion to seed companies and agro-dealers. According to the Minister, more funds are now going to farmers in Nigeria from local and international investors as well as financial institutions.
“The Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) which was introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development last year has guaranteed N25 billion in agricultural loans. This development has increased lending to the Agriculture Sector to 4 percent of banks’ total loans from the average of 1.5 percent in 2009.
Mr. Maku however, stressed the need for the country to place more emphasis on processing of agricultural produce rather than mere cultivation. He said: “Agricultural programme in the Transformation Agenda states that we must learn from the practices of other countries such as Brazil which moved from growing, harvesting, processing to distribution.
“The industrial revolution of Nigeria will only take off if we are able to put in place measures that will facilitate the processing of our agricultural produce here in Nigeria. The new policies by Dr. Adesina is addressing this.
“Silos have been built in various parts of the country to tackle the problem of storage. Virtually all the silo projects embarked upon by Government have been completed. More jobs are created through agricultural produce processing, therefore government is taking this very seriously”.
He noted that investors are now interested in Nigeria’s agriculture because of the new agricultural policies, as incentives and loans have been addressed by the policies
“Fertilizer is now available to farmers all year round. There is also huge investment coming into Fertilizer production in Nigeria today. This is because of the new agricultural policies.
“New improved seeds being distributed free to real farmers will ensure that farmers will harvest improved yields per acre planted from now on.
We are in one of Nigeria’s best moments in Agriculture. Our Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Adesina, has just been declared the ‘African Person of the Year’ by Forbes based on our policies in Agriculture that he is piloting.
The Information Minister also described the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES) as one of the many critical components of the Federal Government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA).
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