From Maiharaji Altine, Gusau
The Anchor borrowers agricultural scheme has recorded a huge drawback in Zamfara State due to non-payment of loans collected by farmers under the program.
For this reason, the state is not participating in this year’s Anchor borrowers program.
Speaking to Analyzer news, the Secretary of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Sanusi Mohammed said, farmers have collected large amount of money running into billions under the program, lamenting however that “the benefitting farmers didn’t pay 10% of the loan”.
Mohammed said that Zamfara State was not allocated with any amount out of the N79billon disbursed to farmers by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“As I am talking to you now, more than 80% of those who got the loan under the program have defaulted, as such, we are not participating in the program this year”. Said Mohammed.
Meanwhile, some farmers who were interviewed have attributed the none repayment of the loan to the insecurity situation in the state.
A cross section of farmers who spoke in separate interviews said most of the farmers from rural communities have moved into cities for safety and could no longer access their farms due to the growing activities of bandits and kidnappers.
Malam Abubakar Sani, a resident of Dansadau town in Maru local government area of the state, said most of the farmers in the rural areas suffered from bandits attacks or kidnappers as such, they could no longer access their farms.
“Majority of us left our communities where their farms are located due to fear of bandits and kidnappers”.
“As I am speaking to you, today due to this insecurity, farmers could not grow half of the food they used to grow in the past which could be responsible for none repayment of the loans”.
