The President, Maize Association of Nigeria, Dr. Bello Abubakar, has given the assurance that farmers were producing enough maize to meet demand of the Nigeria.
Abubakar said on Monday in Abuja when where discussed the inauguration of the first National Maize Pyramid.
Abubakar said maize farmers in the country are currently producing enough to meet up the demand of maize in Nigeria.
He thereby called on Nigerian government to sustain the Ban on Maize importation into the country to further boost maize production and continue to encourage farmers.
“ We say no to maize importation into Nigeria and we will always support the Central Bank of Nigeria for denying maize importers forex, because the CBN supports President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda of “eat what we produce and produce what we Eat”
“ We can produce enough for our consumption and industrial use.”
He said the Anchor Borrowers programme has helped smallholder maize farmers in the country attain quality production and a sustainable life.
According to the statement, Abubakar appealed to farmers to cultivate the habit of repaying their loans in order to ensure the success of the Anchor Borrower’s Programme.
“The success of the Anchor Borrower’s Programme lies in our conduct as maize farmers, we therefore need to be optimistic in our thoughts and in repaying our loans as at when due for the survival of the programme”
“Anchor Borrower’s Programme was initiated in the first instance to help link small holder farmers to processors thereby creating viable and sustainable money.
The statement stated that Dr Godwin Emefiele, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said maize pyramid unveiling programme marks another milestone in the CBN Anchor Borrower’s story.
It has further demonstrates the progress made in commodity association towards attaining Food sufficiency in Nigeria”
Dr. Emefiele said the Anchor Borrower’s Programme has proven to be a game changer in revolutionizing agriculture in Nigeria.
He added that Apex bank would continue to release maize from strategic grains reserves into the market in order to moderate the price of maize in the market and checkmate the activities of hoarders in the Nigerian market.
“There were nine pyramids of over 50 thousand 100kg bags of maize from Katsina state alone on display by the maize association of Nigeria at the unveiling ceremony of the first National Maize Pyramids.
The maize will be used to repay the anchor borrowers loan by the farmers while the apex bank would allocate the maize to off takers consisting of mostly feed meals and also the strategic grains reserve in the country.
The loan repayment and recovery would
