The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has put the total loan repayments under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) at N503 billion, representing 52.39% as of the end of February 2023, adding that the balance of N119 billion was not due for repayment.
The Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department, Dr. AbdulMumin Isa, disclosed this in Abuja over the weekend while exchanging views with journalists on the performance of the ABP.
Reiterating the apex bank’s commitment to its developmental mandate of stimulating access to finance for the real sector, he also revealed that the sum of N1.079 trillion had been released as of February 28, of which N960 billion was due for repayment.
According to him, the CBN ABP has supported about 4.57 million smallholder farmers as of February end, who cultivated over 6.02 million hectares of 21 commodities across the country.
He listed the commodities as rice, wheat, cowpea, millet, maize, cotton, fish, soya bean, poultry, cassava, groundnut, ginger, sorghum, oil palm, cocoa, sesame, tomato, castor seed, yellow pepper, onions, and cattle/dairy.
The Bank’s interventions, with the core objective of catalysing the economy’s productive base, have continued to support investments in capital assets in sectors with high-growth and employment-elastic potential.
Citing statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FOA), Dr. Isa noted that the ABP had contributed significantly to the increased national output of focal commodities, with maize and rice peaking at 12.2 and 9.0 million metric tonnes in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
He said the programme has also helped to improve the national average yield per hectare of these commodities, with productivity per hectare almost doubling within the eight years of the Programme’s implementation.
He further noted that repayments under the ABP are made through cash or produce by the beneficiaries, adding that the outstanding due balance on loans was still under moratorium due to the COVID-19 forbearance granted to beneficiaries of the Bank’s interventions in March 2020 and extended to February 28, 2022.
“It is pertinent to note that the tenor of loans under the ABP is based on the commodity gestation period. For instance, loans granted to farmers cultivating some perennial crops could have up to a seven-year tenor,” he explained.
Dr. Isa emphasised that the Bank’s interventions, with the core objective of catalysing the economy’s productive base, have continued to support investments in capital assets in sectors with high-growth and employment-elastic potential.
“The Central Bank of Nigeria remains committed to its developmental mandate of stimulating access to finance for the real sector, particularly agriculture, as it continues to support the Federal Government’s drive for food security and economic growth.
“Accordingly, the Central Bank of Nigeria continues to welcome applications from eligible Nigerian farmers and firms under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme,” he added.
