Edo has not abandoned CBN-MSMEDF loan scheme’

Edo State government says it has not abandoned the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) – Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Fund scheme loan to farmers in the state.

BusinessDay reports that the CBN-MSMEDF is geared towards empowering FADAMA farmers in the country.

Chris Okojie, state commissioner for agriculture and natural resources, made the disclosure during a meeting with FADAMA farmers in Benin City.

Okojie, who however did not disclosed when the fund would be accessed and disbursed to farmers, assured that the process to access the fund from the CBN was still ongoing, noting that the fund would only be disbursed to the actual farmers and not “political farmers.”

The commissioner posited that the fund was not free but a revolving loan to farmers.

The commissioner noted the meeting was as a result of the complaints by some members of FADAMA farmers over the alleged non-disbursement of the fund to them.

According to him, most of my policies are geared towards the ways we carry out our farming and agricultural activities, we must move from the crude method of farming to the mechanise ones.

“I just want to ensure that there are enough tractors in Agricultural Development Programme (ADP). Also to bring enough investors that will promote out-growers interest to increase farmers productivity. I can only do this through mechanise farming and not subsistence farming, which is more realistic today.

“All these will take time and time I don’t have. But I can only assure that I will lay enough foundations for my successor to build on,” he said.

Earlier, the national secretary of Federated FADAMA Farmers, Henry Ebole, commended the commissioner for the meeting, noting that members of the association were happy to benefit from the entire state government funded agricultural scheme.