Govt, banks kill rubber business – Farmers

He said the placement of stringent conditions by banks when granting long term credit facilities to rubber farmers, due to the longer gestation period of rubber plants and neglect of the sub-sector, are some of the many factors that have challenged the growth and impact of rubber business in the country. “The rubber sub-sector in […]

He said the placement of stringent conditions by banks when granting long term credit facilities to rubber farmers, due to the longer gestation period of rubber plants and neglect of the sub-sector, are some of the many factors that have challenged the growth and impact of rubber business in the country.
“The rubber sub-sector in Nigeria is presently facing several challenges. These do not allow us to compete with our counterparts in other countries, thereby making Nigeria not to play her leading role anymore, in generating needed income and providing jobs.
“Government is rather giving much support to cocoa because it does not take as long as rubber to yield.  Like cocoa, we rubber farmers do not have access to bank credits because of stringent conditions that discourage us.  We are also shocked that much of government credits and assistance do not get to our sub-sector.  As part of federal government Agricultural Transformation Agenda, the rubber sub-sector should also be given priority to enable us get back on our feet.  Government should give us grant,” he said.
Umoh is confident that rubber business can still command economic benefits to the country in all ramifications despite the challenges. Umoh told the House of Representatives committee on interior, headed by Hon Daniel Effiong Asuquo when the committee visited them as part of their oversight functions that without government encouragement, rubber plantation in Biase LGA may not be able to sustain the over 700 Nigerians in its employ for too long.
The rubber farmer pointed out that most of the rubber plantations in Nigeria are now aging and government is not making any deliberate plan to encourage the replanting.
“Most of the farms, including the rubber plantations that you see around the country are those that were planted by our forefathers in the 1940s or so. Although we realize that the older the rubber tree, the better the quality of the yield, our vast rubber plantations, for instance, were planted in 1963. There has not been any deliberate attempt by government to revive or replant new plantations to help boost, trade and economy.
“If there was such encouragement, we the big farmers ought to have clusters of small-holder farmers around big plantations along the value chain line. Their presence would help to bring down prices as well as help local farmers grow,” he said.
He told members of the House committee about the hybridization method which they are now adopting. He explained that this involves modern method of cross-breeding of the rubber plants by experts.
“This way, the gestation period of rubber plants no longer takes as much as five or seven years but some three years. We need grant from the federal government.  They should help remove bottlenecks on whatever we are supposed to get,” he said.