Zamfara State Government Donates 100,000 Heather To NACOTAN

In an effort to revive the agriculture in the state, the Zamfara State Government has donated 100,000 heather to the National Association of Cotton of Nigeria, NACOTAN.

The Zamfara State Governor, Bello Muhammad Matawallen Maradun, disclosed this during the flag off loan to the 12,290 Cotton farmers by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through Anchor Borrowers Loan.

The governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Dr. Ibrahim Abdullahi, thanked the leadership of NACOTAN for complementing government efforts towards achieving desired objectives.

In his welcome address earlier, the chairman of NACOTAN, Zamfara State chapter, Alhaji Sani Dairu, said a total of 12,290 cotton farmers in Zamfara State have benefited from 2020/2021 Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) loan under the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP).

Dahiru spoke at a brief ceremony to hand over recovered cotton from the 2020/2021 beneficiaries of the programme in the North West and distribution to some selected cotton ginneries in the state for processing.

He said that about 4,000 tonnes of cotton, representing 40 per cent of the loan, had been recovered from the beneficiaries.

“We are expecting the recovery of 10,000 tonnes of harvested cotton in the state from the beneficiaries,” he said.

He commended the Federal Government for initiating ABP, saying it had boosted cotton farming in the state.

According to him, five years back before the intervention, some of the ginneries in the state were closed down, while some were working below 30 per cent capacity.

“Today, with the ABP, many ginneries have begun operation at over 50 per cent capacity."

“This has enhanced the economy of many families by engaging them in farming and processing activities,” Dahiru said.

In a remark, the National President of NACOTAN, Mr. Anebi Achimugu, said: “We are happy with what we are witnessing today in Zamfara."

“This is evidence that the ABP is existing in the country."

“The programme where farmers are supported with loan to produce cotton in a collective form and the products recovered as loan repayment is a welcome development,” Achimugu said.

He called on the federal government to sustain the programme because of its many economic benefits to the nation.

“The advantages of the value chain of cotton are numerous, especially in job creation, provision of raw materials to textiles and other industries, among others."

The CBN Governor, Mr. Goodwin Emefiele, said ABP was established to create linkage between anchor companies involved in the processing and small holders of the required key agricultural commodities.

Emefiele, represented by the Controller of Gusau CBN Branch, Mr. Buhari Abbas, said CBN financed at least 100,000 cotton farmers through ABP in the 2020 wet season and 17,290 were from the state.

He reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to ensuring food security through provision of loans to smallholder farmers to commercial farmers.

Emefiele called on the beneficiaries to reciprocate government’s gesture by repaying their loans as and when due.