Govt supported 4.8m farmers, produced 23 commodities under ABP

• To introduce eight- tonne/ ha rice variety

THE Anchor Borrowers’ Programme ( ABP) has so far supported over 4.8 million smallholder farmers across Nigeria for the production of 23 agricultural commodities including maize, rice, oil palm, cocoa, cotton, cassava, tomato and livestock, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.

Also, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN), Godwin Emefiele has disclosed that the Federal Government is set to introduce a new variety of rice capable of delivering eight tonnes per hectare.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja at the unveiling of the FCT mega rice pyramids, Buhari argued that the Anchored Borrowers Programme had increased access to finance by rural farmers, who before now were excluded from the financial system.

Buhari hinted that rice production in Nigeria has increased to over 7.5 million metric tonnes yearly, adding that before the introduction of ABP, the average production in Nigeria between 1999 to 2015 was less than four metric tonnes yearly.

Buhari stated that as a critical policy of the government, the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme is expected to catalyse the agricultural productive base of the nation, which is a major part of his government's economic plan to uplift the people, create jobs, reduce reliance on imported food and industrial ra w materials, and conserve foreign exchange.

The President also revealed that the improved rice seedlings have helped to ensure the achievement of rice sufficiency, as they are disease- resistant and ha ve an average yield of about five metric tonnes per hectare, compared with the traditional national average of 1.5 metric tonnes, saying this had resulted in bridging Nigeria's rice consumption gap, a significant reduction in rice imports, and sa ved foreign exchange.

Emefiele hinted that the new improved variety initiative is expected to begin in the 2022 dr y farming season.

"We are currently exploring a new rice seed variety with the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria

( RIFAN) that has the potential to deliver over eight tons per hectare. The pilot programme should commence in the 2022 dry season, and it has the potential of being the game- changer for the rice sector in Nigeria. We will work with the various seed certification authorities and explore the possibility of patenting it for RIFAN as part of their legacies under the Programme," he explained.

He added that the apex bank had deepened its stakeholders’ engagement to increase the arable land under cultivation and improve the productivity per hectare using improved seeds and agronomic prac - tices.