Sokoto farmers say N1b agric loan rather too late

Farmers who benefited from the loan distributed to various farmers associations in the state, said though there are dry season and livestock farmers in the state who may still have much to do with the loan in their agricultural and farm produce, the loan would have benefited majority of then who are mainly wet season […]

Farmers who benefited from the loan distributed to various farmers associations in the state, said though there are dry season and livestock farmers in the state who may still have much to do with the loan in their agricultural and farm produce, the loan would have benefited majority of then who are mainly wet season farmers if it was given around March when farmers are preparing for the wet season farming.

Speaking exclusively to Sunday Trust, one of the farmers whose association benefited from the loan, Alhaji Sahabi Bello, said Sokoto state has a vast and fertile land for massive agricultural production but most of the farmers could not make use of the virgin land because they do not have enough resources to cultivate the vast lands.

“With improved farm seedlings, fertilizer and tractors being provided to farmers in the state by the government, coupled with this loan given to farmers by the federal government and previous loans provided by the state government, an average farmer in Sokoto state would have no reason not to double production this or in the next farming season. But the loan is rather coming at a very wrong time. It is coming too late.

“You see, majority of the wet season farmers are also dry season farmers. Almost all the dry season farmers are wet season farmers. You hardly see any farmer who will tell you that he or she cannot farm during the rainy season except during the dry season. So, if they had given this loan at the beginning of the rainy season, most of the farmers would have invested the money in their farms and that will mean a greater harvest. But I tell you, majority of the farmers will see this loan as a bonus now and decide to use it to go and marry more wives or buy rams and clothes for the coming Sallah,” he said.

Alhaji Sahabi Bello said most of the farmers in the state are peasants who require such loans to be able to improve agricultural production. However, Mallam Musa Kale said he is a peasant farmer but does not rely on government for loans or fertilizer because they are either not enough to take care of one’s farm or they do not come at a time they are required.

“I am from Illela local government. Some years back, government told us that they were going to sell fertilizer for us at subsidized rate. We were asked to go and pay for the fertilizer in the second month of the year (February). The first batch of the people who got half of the quantity of fertilizer they paid for got them in the tenth month (October) when so many farmers had even cultivated their crops. Your money is trapped. No fertilizer, no money. Some peasant farmers could not even farm again that year.

“Since then, I resulted to the use of manure. After harvest, I will invite the Fulani herdsmen to drive their cows into my farm. I will donate the entire corn stems for their cows. When they stay in my farm for weeks along with their cows, I will get enough manure for next season’s farming. Even now, my friend tried to drag me into their farmers’ association so that I can also get the loan but I refused. His group is benefiting from the loan. He told me he will use his loan to buy a motorcycle because he cannot keep the money up to the next farming season”, he said.

But Governor Aliyu Wamakko of the state accused the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Fidelity Bank of delaying the Sokoto state share of the N1 billion agricultural loan for the farmers in the state due to what he called, unnecessary bureaucracy. He said the federal government has since made the money available but the CBN and Fidelity Bank delayed the money for two years.

“For two years, the federal government made this money available for distribution to our farmers but your bank (Fidelity) and the Central Bank of Nigeria have been delaying the release of the money. I will not thank you for the loan. After all, it is federal government’s fund”, he said.

Governor Wamakko said the assistance the Nigerian farmers are getting is very small. He lamented that the state governments have very little they can do because of the huge sums of money required. He said earlier before the federal government’s intervention, the state government had been providing farmers in the state with improved seedlings, fertilizer, tractors and other farming implements at subsidized rates.

Governor Wamakko who spoke at the event in Hausa, said, “the state government has decided to guarantee farmers in the state for the N1 billion loan hoping that the farmers will make very good use of the loan to improve their agricultural production with a view to make the federal government’s policy on food security a reality.

“You are all aware that we experienced flood disaster in the state during this year’s farming season. That has affected so many farmlands in the state among others. We have carefully selected various farmers associations from all the local government areas in the state. In all, there are 638 farmers association of different classes that are to benefit from this loan.

“I would like to call on farmers in the state to ensure that they embark on massive irrigation farming with a view to produce a lot of food and cash crops. Government on its part, will ensure that improved seedlings are made available to farmers. The state government will also make available cassava and potatoe stems for planting free of charge to farmers in the state. Agric extension officers will also be made available to assist and guide farmers professionally”, he said.

The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Agriculture, Sokoto State, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed Danshehu, said this was not the first time farmers in the state will be given loans to enable them improve agricultural production. He said the state government had early this year, disbursed N145, 402,180.00 loan to farmers in the state under the Fadama III program. He said 21 farmers associations benefitted from the loan.

Danshehu also said a few months ago, the state government had under the same Fadama III program, disbursed additional N53,690,841.00 loan to some farmers associations in the state. He said both loans were given to the farmers for irrigation farming. The Permanent Secretary said the loans are given at no interest to the farmers.

He said the state Governor has directed the Ministry of Agriculture to purchase and distribute to farmers in the state, tractors, insecticides and water pumping machines for irrigation farming. He said while the items have since been distributed to farmers in the state, large expanse of land for irrigation farming have since been cleared, treated and made available to farmers for irrigation at no cost to the farmers.

Speaking at the loan disbursement ceremony in Sokoto, the North Regional Director of Fidelity Bank, Alhaji Idris Yakubu, said the N1 billion disbursed to farmers in the state as loan is part of the N160 billion set aside by the federal government for medium and large scale farmers and Agro enterprises. He said N40 billion was set aside for the 36 states and the FCT for lending to their cooperative farmers.

“The facility was powered by Fidelity Bank Plc as the intermediating bank in channeling these funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria for the purpose of on lending to cooperative farmers and other agro allied enterprises along the agro value chain business. The federal government as part of its efforts to provide food security, diversify revenue sources and create more jobs and raw materials for our import dependent industries, introduced the commercial agricultural credit scheme in 2009.

“The states are to access the funds through commercial banks and after undergoing due diligence and meeting the minimum risk criteria of the bank. I am pleased to inform His Excellency, the Executive Governor, that the Sokoto state government has successfully met the bank’s minimum risk acceptance criteria and due diligence and has emerged as one of the state government that is accessing the funds through Fidelity Bank Plc,” he said.

Alhaji Yakubu advised the benefiting farmers associations in the state to ensure that they insure their agric related ventures that such ventures are prone to risks occasioning from uncertainty of weather, diseases, natural disasters such as flood and fire which he said can be shared or transferred if the venture is insured.

He warned the farmers that officials of the bank, CBN, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant agencies of government will be going round to monitor the proper utilization of the funds by the farmers. He said farmers in the country can access loans from the Bank under their Fidelity Trust Fund, the Fidelity Self Help Group Facility and many more aimed at helping farmers to grow more.

The 638 farmers associations that benefited from the loan include Women Farmers Association, Wet and Dry Season Farmers, Livestock Farmers, Fisheries, Cassava, Tomatoes and other farm and animal production farmers in the state.