Maize Association Repays ABP Loans, Erects Maize Pyramid

The Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN) has said that it is planning to erect a maize pyramid as part of its strategic move to pay its loan under the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP).

The association said that the maize that will be used for the project will be sourced from across the country, and this will make it the second pyramid erected by the association since the commencement of the ABP in 2015.

Dr. Abubakar Bello, the National President of MAAN, said that the association wants to use the maize pyramid as a public display to show how successful the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) has been since its inception.

He said that the pyramid was not only the first of its kind but an opportunity to repay the trust the CBN has in the association through the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP).

"We want to set up this pyramid in order to showcase the success and the achievement of the Anchor Borrowers Programme under President Muhammadu Buhari.

"Also, we want to showcase what we have done and to acknowledge what Mr. President has done for maize farmers in Nigeria, as well as to show the efforts and appreciation of all maize farmers in Nigeria.

He also used the opportunity to show appreciation to the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai who provided both financial and technical support to the association.

He stressed that if not for the COVID-19 pandemic, the production of maize would have been better than what it currently is. The reason is that the restriction on movement in 2020 came after harvest, as farmers couldn’t cultivate as much as they would have loved to do.

He said that maize production would increase to 20 million metric tons in 2020, as against the 8 million metric tons that were being produced as of 2015, before the introduction of the ABP.

He appreciated President Muhammed Buhari for his stellar leadership, which has made it possible for them to reap the benefits of the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP).

 "Before the advent of this administration in 2015, we only had 8 million tons of maize, but by the end of 2020, it has increased to 20 million tons.

"Apart from that, farmers now have access to inputs without their own money, but as a loan, they get the technology under the ABP.

"Where farmers were getting 20 tons of maize, that has increased to 50 tons. There is a new technology in farming and there are extension services under the ABP.

Through mechanization, monitoring, and evaluation, the farmers are benefiting, and they have increased their production.

"The number of maize mills we have in the country has increased. The processors have more companies and are now employing more people. These are the success stories of the ABP.

"In one season, more than one million people got jobs under ABP," he said.

Dr. Joseph Bamidele, the Coordinator of the Anchor Borrowers Programme under MAAN of Nigeria and Assistant Secretary-General of MAAN, also supported Dr. Bello's position, believing that the maize pyramid would help highlight the successes farmers have achieved in mass production in the country.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Kaduna State, Ibrahim Hussaini, said that the maize pyramid, which is the second one since 2019, will go a long way in convincing Nigerians that the federal government's plan to achieve self-sufficiency is working and will in no time help the country achieve self-sufficiency in food production.