BOA boosts Sokoto cassava farmers with N1.44bn

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

The Sokoto State Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Arzika Tureta has disclosed the disbursement of N1.44 billion loan by the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) to cassava farmers in the state.

Tureta gave this hint to NaijaAgroNet stating that the beneficiaries of the loan comprised of 7,000 farmers registered under the umbrella of the Cassava Growers Association of Nigeria (CGAN) drawn from the 23 local government areas of the state.

The Commissioner also said that the state government had already paid N178.5 million as its equity contribution for the loans scheme.

 "Out of the amount, N35 million was paid for the registration of the cassava farmers, who will benefit from the loan," Tureta said.

He explained that the ministry had set up a committee to ensure that the beneficiaries were genuine farmers from the state, stressing that the loan would boost food security, curb youth’s restiveness, reduce poverty, as well as unemployment, among others.

Tureta, therefore, urged the beneficiaries to use the money for the purpose it was meant for in order to sustain the objectives of the scheme. 

 NaijaAgroNet

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Nigerian Railway partners Agric Ministry for cassava exportation

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is partnering the Federal Ministry of Agriculture for haulage of cassava chips to the world.

NRC in a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet revealed that the first train of 160 tonnes of cassava chips has been moved to Lagos Seaport from Ilorin, for later exportation to Asia.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was recently signed between the corporation and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in a bid to actualize the transformation agenda of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture with respect to cassava export.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that part of the ministry's agenda is large scale exportation of cassava as well as other agrarian products of comparative advantage to the global market.

Commenting on the MoU, the NRC's managing director, Engr. Adeseyi Sijuwade affirmed that empty wagons would no longer return to Lagos as they would be hauling cassava chips from Ilorin to Lagos seaport.

"In our strategic effort to improve our revenue base through optimal mobilization of movable assets and other facilities," Engr. Sijuwade said, adding that trains that move Lafarge Cements to Ilorin will be the same set of trains that would be used in moving the chips to Lagos seaport.

Sijuwade also assured the Federal Ministry of Agriculture of the corporation's readiness to fulfill its own side of the deal while urging cassava farmers to make the best use of the opportunity for a competitive global trading.

Yinka Awosanya

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