‘Northerners are sidelined in disbursement of agric loans’

Sir, you have been a farmer for over five decades, what are the challenges of agriculture in the north?The commitment on the part of the government to the sector is weak and the efforts geared towards boosting the sector are not commensurate to the role the sector is playing in the development of the country. […]

Sir, you have been a farmer for over five decades, what are the challenges of agriculture in the north?
The commitment on the part of the government to the sector is weak and the efforts geared towards boosting the sector are not commensurate to the role the sector is playing in the development of the country. As you know, the agricultural sector played key role in laying solid foundation for the development of the country but as time went by the commitment of successive government waned, unlike what was obtainable in those days when almost everybody is a farmer. I started farming in 1955 when I was a head teacher at a school in Gwaram area of the old Kano State that was before Jigawa State was created. And since then I have not stopped farming and I won’t stop till I die because it is in my blood. Though I can no longer cultivate land myself, I used to engage young men to do that for me. I’ve 54 hectares of farmland in Bunkure Local Government Area of Kano state. In Tamburawa dam, I used to have three hectares of farmland but the ongoing construction of Amana city by the incumbent governor of Kano State has taken it over. That’s development for you and we are happy with that. During my heydays of farming I used to get over 500 bags of rice annually in addition to other grains but now I cannot because of age and lack of trustworthy farmers. The two major challenges thwarting development of agricultural sector in the North are lack of capital and insufficient modern farming tools or implements. The farmers don’t have enough capital to expand their business and the government assistance is not forthcoming. Only recently I applied for loan from the Bank of Agriculture in a bid to test the efficacy of the government loan programme but many months after, I’m yet to get it. I have spoken with many farmers in Kano and beyond they are also complaining of same. They are sidelining northerners in the disbursement of the loan even when they know that we the farmers in the North needed it more than any other farmers in other parts of the country.
When did you apply for the loan?
It was in April and it was the Kano State commissioner of agriculture that encouraged me to apply. I applied for N6.7 million but after sometimes they came back to me that they can only give me N1million. They also demanded for collateral before the loan would be released to me. When I expressed my dismay, they said that we should form a cooperative. They said I should get three other persons to join me and I did but up till now I’m yet to get the loan. That N1 million they said they want to give me is not enough for the monthly upkeep of my family. This shows that the federal government is not serious about the revival of the agric sector. We are now in August, even if I’m given the loan what do they expect me to do with it at this time of the rainy season?
Are you sure you met all the requirements for the loan?
They said we should form cooperative we did and what else do they want? To me, they are just sidelining us in the disbursement of the loan because I have spoken with many other farmers in this region. It is against this backdrop that I’m calling on all governors in the region to urgently device means to assist farmers so that we can regain our past glory in the sector. If they do this, all these insults and abuses that they are showering on us over crude oil would be a thing of the past as we can stand on our own. All those governors that were serving when the Bank of the North folded up following recapitalisation palaver would not be forgiven until when they get an alternative for the region. They can do that as done by Kwankwaso in Kano when he established North-west University in Kano. The former governors who were serving when Bank of the North closed shop should prevail on the serving governors in their respective states to join hands together and establish something like North-west bank for the stimulation of our economy. The insecurity challenge facing the region was as a result of lack of capital among others. Look at the ongoing indirect clampdown on the operators of Bureau de Change. This is the only business that our people in North are dominating in the financial sector of the country now they have come up with recapitalisation in order to push them out of business. I’m advising the operators to partner with each other in order to raise the required N35 million capital base. If you want to cultivate 10 hectares of farmland you need nothing less than N10 million for you to be able to get good harvest and make profit at the end of the farming season.
Are you sure the problem of getting BOA loans is only affecting farmers in North?
I don’t know what is happening in other parts of the country but I know what is happening here in the North as almost all our people are lamenting over their inability to get the loan.