The Central Bank of Nigeria/Bank of Agriculture (BoA) Anchor Borrowers’ rice and wheat production programme has created about 500,000 jobs for farmers across the country.
The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, made the disclosure on Friday during a one-day assessment tour of rice farms in Argungu and Augie Local Government Areas of Kebbi State.
The CBN governor was on the entourage of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh to the farms.
Emefiele said the bank registered 70,871 farmers in Kebbi for the Anchor Borrowers Programme, adding that they had begun the cultivation of farmlands for the large-scale production of rice and wheat.
Speaking during the tour, Ogbeh re-affirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to diversifying the Nigerian economy to guarantee food security and enable the growth of a multi-sectoral economy.
The minister commended the efforts of the CBN and the Kebbi State Government for the successful implementation of the programme in the state.
He stated that the government would support rice and flour millers to establish additional milling factories for the economy to thrive.
According to Ogbeh, the programme was aimed at diversifying the economy with agriculture, to end total dependence on oil revenue and grow a multifaceted economy.
The minister tasked the state government to work hard in meeting the target production of one million metric tons of rice.
He stressed that the practice whereby the Federal Government spent huge sums to import rice was unacceptable to the present administration, and expressed the hope that the programme would reverse the trend and save foreign reserves.
Emefiele said the bank had provided financial support to large-scale rice farmers in the state to boost farming activities and food production.
He commended the Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, for fully implementing the programme, calling for the provision of water-pumping machines, fertiliser, insecticides, and financial support to the farmers to ensure successful large-scale production.
He also encouraged prospective farmers to register for the scheme to improve their economic status.
