Farmers advocate re-introduction of commodity board

The Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Gombe state chapter, Umar Usman Abdullahi, has said that the reintroduction of commodity board, reduction of agricultural interest lending, strengthening of NIXIM and NACB Bank to serve the Nigerian farmers, the establishment of rice mills throughout the country and massive recruitment of agric extension officers are some of […]

The Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Gombe state chapter, Umar Usman Abdullahi, has said that the reintroduction of commodity board, reduction of agricultural interest lending, strengthening of NIXIM and NACB Bank to serve the Nigerian farmers, the establishment of rice mills throughout the country and massive recruitment of agric extension officers are some of the factors that will guarantee the growth of agriculture in Nigeria.
In an interview with Daily Trust, Abdullahi said area of products packaging should also be strengthened.
“Like in Malaysia all the agronomists in the banks are the people who write a project for you. If you come to a bank seeking for agricultural loan they will go and do a soil test on your farm, the officers who will package the programme are there and there is monitoring and evaluation of the project and at the end of the day you will be giving a loan with a monitorial of six years,’’ he said.
He also appealed to both the federal and state governments  to focus on agriculture so as to have food security which will lessen our dependent on oil and increase our export foreign exchange earning.