Heritage Bank Plc has disclosed plans to revolutionise the agricultural value-chain field, particularly the rice farming that will enhance agribusiness and aid economic development through its direct participation in the much lauded Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The Group Head, Agriculture Finance, Heritage Bank, Olugbenga Awe, in a speech delivered at the third edition of Rice Investment Summit in Abuja in collaboration with New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD), said the bank’s drive to support rice production was borne out of the conviction that agribusiness is profitable and act of patriotism to achieve food security and sufficiency in the country.
He, however, noted that the challenges facing rice production were subset of myriads of constraints facing agriculture in general, as most farmlands are located in the rural areas with poor road network and electricity supply, majority are financially excluded with no access to banking services.
He hinted that Heritage Bank is effectively tackling the bottlenecks, since it has long identified the opportunities in agribusiness before the collapse of crude oil prices through its various programmes, which will contribute to the projection for year 2020 in the production of 7.7million metric tonnes of milled rice or 10.8million metric tonnes of paddy rice at milling recovery ratio of 62per cent.
