CBN to support cultivation of 500,000 hectares of maize in 2021

Nigerian farmers will be getting all the support they need in the cultivation of maize this year as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefele has disclosed.

The Governor said the apex bank would be supporting farmers with necessary funding to ensure that over half-a-million hectares of maize is cultivated.

Emefiele, who disclosed this on Thursday at the launch of the 2021 maize wet season farming in Katsina, said Nigeria was targeting to attain self sufficiency in maize production by 2022.

He said that the country has witnessed remarkable increase in maize production during the past six years with support of the Anchor Borrower Programme.

“The 2018 wet season witnessed remarkable increase in the number of beneficiaries, as about 67,181 farmers were empowered to cultivate 110, 832 hectares across 36 states,” said the Governor.

“In 2019, it was 100,000 hectares, and that of 2020 was 250,000 hectares cultivated, but we hope to increase the target in 2021 to 500,000 hectares.”

Emefiele said that Nigeria, with a population of about 200 million people, must end food import which has continued to drain the country’s external reserves, creating unemployment and disruption in commodity value chain.

He said: “This event symbolises our commitment towards enabling self sufficiency in maize production by 2022 in Nigeria.”

The Governor ended by urging Nigerian youths to embrace agriculture as means of livelihood.