No fewer than 12, 500 farmers in Akwa Ibom benefitted from the dtate government interest-free loan to ensure food security in the state, state Chairman of All Farmers Association in Nigeria (AFAN), Mr Bassey Inwang, has said.
Inwang who stated this in Uyo recently, said the loan was given to vegetables, maize and cassava farmers during this year’s planting season.
He disclosed that each farmer received about N150, 000 to N1, 000, 000 depending on the size and type of farm.
“A lot of farmers have obtained interest free loan from the State Government. In terms of vegetables, not less than 2, 500 vegetables farmers and about 4, 500 in the maize farmers and over 5, 500 in the cassava sector because we have to go out to their farms and inspect the farm before disbursement.
“No condition is really attached. When your farm is certified, you pick the form and a guarantor signs for you. In case you don’t pay back the loan it will be deducted from the salary of your guarantor.
“People have gotten about N150, 000 and up to N1, 000, 000 depending on the size of the farm,” Inwang said.
The AFAN Chairman said farmers in the state were also able to access farm inputs from the state government.
He said improved cassava, cuttings, rice seedlings and maize grains were distributed to farmers to ensure bumper harvest.
Inwang commended the state government for distributing farm inputs and appealed for the provision of farm machineries to aid the farmers during cultivation and land clearing.
He, however, expressed regret that farmers in the state were yet to benefit from the federal government loans and inputs.
He said since farming has season, inputs and fertilizers should be supplied to farmers on time to avoid wastage and delay.
“In the Federal level, we’ve been hearing that machines are coming, farm inputs are coming, but behold nothing come to this state as far as I know.
“But let it be known that agriculture is not practice on pages of newspapers but on field, there’s no way you will encourage people to go into farming without supplying those people with farm inputs.
“So, we need the federal government to do something about providing farm inputs to farmers because since agriculture is time bound, once the season is over, it is off,” he said.
The AFAN chairman decried the present high cost of foodstuffs in the market in spite of increase in food production in the state and country.
He attributed the increase to activities of middlemen and unions operating in various markets, who controlled their members not to bring all the goods to the market at the same time.
Inwang said the artificial scarcity propelled increase in prices of foodstuffs in the market and appealed to government to check activities of middlemen to bring down prices of foodstuffs.
