Osun State said it has provided N329m as agricultural input loans, called Economies of Production, to maize farmers, under the Anchors Borrowers’ Programme, as part of its efforts to revitalise the agricultural sector.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Adedayo Adewole, said this in a statement on Friday on titled ‘Osun empowers 2,038 maize farmers with N329m’.
The statement said the Osun State government also partnered with the Central Bank of Nigeria, Unity Bank and the Maize Farmers Association of Nigeria to empower 2,038 maize farmers in the state.
He thanked the Osun State Governor, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, for revitalising agriculture in the state.
The commission said, “This is a big programme as far as agriculture is concerned in the State of Osun, one that should have necessitated a carnival, but we understand that the COVID-19 safety protocols must be strictly adhered to.
“This is because there has been a tremendous improvement in the number of beneficiaries under this programme in the past two years; but the governor and the ministry of agriculture want more.
“Today, each farmer is getting an EOP of N161,815.96, bringing the total disbursement to N329.78m.
“N329m is a good sum though small compared to what other states get.
“So, we are hoping to empower farmers to the tune of N10bn in the nearest future.
“We will like to thank the Central Bank of Nigeria and other development partners for this milestone, while we encourage more farmers to register with the ministry in order to benefit from empowerment schemes.”