Kebbi acquires N1.5bn loan facility to boast poultry, fish farming

Kebbi State government has acquired a N1.5 billion loan facility from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in a bid to boast poultry and fish farming in the state, as a measure to ensure food security and self reliance among its citizens.
Senator Atiku Abubakar Bagudu who made this known yesterday in Birnin kebbi while fielding questions from newsmen, said the idea was also to diversity in the area of meat production to compliment rice and wheat cultivations that the state has already been known of it.
He said it is glaring for anyone coming to Kebbi to attest that rice production programme has been a successful one, therefore, stressed that the poultry and fish farming programme would also received all the necessary attention it deserves.
“So we are injecting these money into the programme, just like we did the Anchor borrower by providing a soft financing model with little or no interest at all and the beneficiaries can apply to obtain more money after they settled their debt, so it is a kind of revolving funds deliberately targeted in ensuring food security and sustainable human capacity building project” Bagudu further, disclosed that in an effort to entrench mechanized farming to replace the old traditional system of using localized far, in implements, state government has procured 100 units of tractors for onward distribution to entrepreneurs for lease and subsequently paid government.
He said the idea was to avoid direct allocation to farmers for fear of the system being hijacked or maneuvered by the elites, adding that very soon the entrepreneurs would be asked to come forward to acquire them.
while he enjoined farmers in the state to exercise patience as government is doing everything possible to salvage them by introducing programmes and initiatives that has direct bearing on their lives.