Delta farmer calls for competent agro-businessmen for success of Anchor Borrower Programme
Mr Justus Kachikwu, Chairman, Nigeria
Cassava Growers Association, Delta chapter, has said that competent
agro-business men and women are needed to buy cassava produced in the
state under Anchor Borrowers Programme.
Kachikwu stated this in Asaba on
Sunday that the buyers were necessary for the success of the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s anchor programme in the state.
The chairman said that the state needed
agro-business men and women that could buy at least 50 tonnes of
cassava per day and make full payment to the farmers.
According to him, cassava off takers in
the state at present had the capacity of buying only about 20 tonnes
of cassava per day for processing.
Kachikwu said that the situation was
not good enough for the success of the programme in the state because
it would discourage the farmers from planting.
The chairman of the cassava growers’
association lauded the anchor programme which is expected to commence
fully at the 2017 farming season.
He said urged the government to
facilitate the full participation of the private sector by providing
enough incentive and not getting directly involved.
Kachikwu added that the private sector
would drive and make it profitable for the participating farmers.
He said that the participating farmers
in state were trained in December, 2016 and are waiting for the
programme to start.
“The good thing is that the UN is
helping out to ensure effective implementation.
“But the anchor off-takers who will
buy the produce from the four selected crops – cassava, oil palm,
rice and fisheries – are not here in the state,” he added.
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