5,000 Bauchi farmers to benefit from Greenland-initiated loan facility

No fewer than 5,000 farmers in Bauchi state are expected to benefit from agricultural loan facility initiated by a Bauchi-based firm, Greenland Farmers and Business Solutions Ltd, in collaboration with Tijarah Micro-Finance Bank, Bauchi.

Chairman of the firm, Alhaji Ahmed Tahir, who disclosed this to newsmen on Sunday in Bauchi, said the beneficiaries were drawn from seven local government areas of the state, namely Bauchi, Damban, Dass, Ganjuwa, Shira ,Toro and Ningi.

He said the facilities, to be funded by the African Development Bank, would enable each of the 5,000 farmers to secure input worth N230, 000 to N250, 000, for the cultivation of sorghum, maize, sesame, soya beans and rice.

“Under the arrangement, each farmer is to select a crop and cultivate one hectare; will be provided with seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, as well as money for labour and transportation, covering an amount of between N230, 000 and N250, 000.

“After harvest, the produce will be purchased to cover the amount given and the extra crops remaining will be profit.

“The farmers are to be trained before the cropping season commences fully and Greenland will supervise to ensure adherence to recommended farming practice to avoid losses,” he said.

He said Greenland, in collaboration with Tijarah Micro-Finance Bank, had approached the African Development Bank to fund the programme.

“This programme is at its pilot stage in the state and is expected to run for five years, all things being equal,” he said.

Tahir, a former member of the State House of Assembly representing Bauchi Central Constituency, from 1999 to 2003, therefore urged beneficiaries to make the best use of the opportunity provided by complying with stipulated guidelines to avoid incurring losses.

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