Farmers News - Farmers Could Not Access Loan From Government

The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) in partnership with Oxfam recently organized a one day seminar tagged ‘Helping Small-Holder Farmers Access Micro Credit/Grant and other Supports’, in Lagos. According to the organizers the event was necessitated by thechallenges experienced by small holder farmers in the agricultural production process.

Speaking shortly after the commencement of the event, theExecutive Secretary of HEDA, Arigbabu Sulaimon, stated that his organization had worked to ensure that farmers from different cooperatives were invited, adding that, the event interfaced between them and other critical players in the agric finance spectrum would aid proper enlightenment and yield positive result in the sector. “He who wears the shoe, knows where it aches”, he stated.

In his intervention, the Executive Director of Feed Nigeria Initiative (FNI), Comrade, Adeola Soetan observed that the improper implementation of the credit schemes or support to the Nigerian farmer over the years is directly responsible for the steep increase in the
price of food items.

According to him, “statistics shows that in 2011 a bag of garri which was ₦4,500 increased to ₦9,500 in 2013, a bag of beans which cost ₦18,000 in 2011 increased to ₦22,000 in 2013, and a basket of tomato which was ₦4,000 increased to ₦13,000”.

Speaking further, Soeton advised that the efforts aimed at achieving food security under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the Federal government has to be largely woven around small-holder farmers who make up 90 per cent of the nation’s population, adding that “Farmers can make Nigerian families happy if they are well supported”.

The interactive session which followed turned out to be more of ‘candor time’ as the farmers spoke passionately about their experiences. “The reality on ground has to be looked into if the truth must be told” said Comrade Segun Atho, National Vice President (Southwest) of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN).  “We always direct our grievances to the government at the center, what then is the duty of the government at the grassroots?” he asked.

According to him, despite the fact that state and local governments all share revenue allocations, governments at the sub-national level have largely shirked their responsibilities to farmers. Apparently in a bid to buttress his position, Comrade Atho cited the unpalatable experience of farmers in Lagos State.

“Government in 2010 invited all stakeholders for the launch of an Agricultural Initiative in the state with high sounding programmes, but today we farmers can report that we have not benefited from these programmes”.

“I was at the programme launched in 2010, the state Commissioner for agriculture said money will be given to farmers. Each time I ask the officials in charge about when we would get the loan, their response has remained that they were asked by the government to keep it all on hold’ ”, he said.

Atho further questioned the basis of promoting Lagos as a mega city, posing the question; “can a mega city be operated without food?” Assuring that gangsters will be bred on its streets.

Responding to the allegations made by the farmers, Mrs. Bamgbose Nole-Mary the Investment officer of the Lagos state Ministry of Agriculture who represented the Commissioner Hon. Gbolahan Lawal, stated that Lagos State government is doing very well in its farmer oriented agricultural policy citing the Agriculture Youth Empowerment Scheme (Agric YES) initiated by the government as a veritable example.

“During programmes like this farmers are bound to lay complaints, but you must remember that most of their complaints are based on finance which is a Nigerian problem not a Lagos state problem”, Nole stressed, adding that in the next three years the impacts of the policies undertaken will become manifest. “At times what farmers say is different from what really happens on ground, so you need to read in-between lines to understand all that is being said” Nole-Mary advised.

Dealing with the issues surrounding finance, Mrs. Afolabi a representative of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) stated that amidst all complaints laid by farmers, the problem is that farmers usually do not apply on time for loans.

“The documentation process takes time, so if you need a loan by third week of April and you apply on the first week of April, documentation
might be completed in June. So farmers should also try to do thingsthe right way”, she advised.

Source:  http://agronigeria.com.ng/2014/03/21/farmers-deny-access-to-  loan-from-government/