AFAN charges Taraba farmers to remit 50% fertilizer loan
Mohammed Tikka
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Taraba State branch has called on its members who benefited from the last year fertilizer subsidy loan, to hasten up and remit the money still in their hands in order to gain more and better opportunities in their faming business.
The chairperson, AFAM, Taraba State Branch, Hajiya Amina Laraba Wambai, gave this charge at a joint meeting of the State and Local Government Executives of the organization, held on Friday 16 February, 2024 in Jalingo, the State capital.
She stressed that base on the MoU signed by the zonal coordinator of the association, all beneficiaries must have to pay their 50% balance of the fertilizer loan in December, 2024 to avert litigation by the suppliers
“We understand that farmers in the state have faced a lot of hardship in the last raining season as a result of insecurity perpatrated by bandits and kidnappers. Many farmers were forced out of their farm lands to save their lives. However, these loans must have to be paid unfailingly. Our meeting today is to assess their successes and the E they faced in their respective areas.
“We aimed at fashioning out possible ways through which all beneficiaries will remit their loans to enable us attract the various opportunities that are already in the pipe line for the next raining season
“I want to remind farmers in Taraba State that the supplier needs his money. As a business man, you can not afford to continue giving out credit without getting your money back. If we really know that we benefited from this engagement, we should pay the money back so that we can continue to gain other benefits.
“Many organisations are willing to bring inputs for us but if we continue like this, they may be discouraged. We were expecting solar irrigation and Urea. If we had paid our percentage, most of us would have gotten these things on ground now without any headache. But because we have failed to remit our moneys, we didn’t benefit from the dry season much. It was only one truck that was given to us”. She stressed.
Meanwhile, Mr Rilwanu Dasso, from Yorro and Rashida Aliyu Sise, from Gashaka who participated in the scheme appreciated the leadership of AFAM for standing for them at all times but lamented that issues of insecurity and other problems had hindered farming system in the state during the last farming season
They pleaded with the leadership of the organization to continue their good work and prevail on the contractor to give them more time to enable them sort out the issues
It could be recall that last year, the State Government in partnership with the contractor supplied fertilizers on a subsidized rate to farmers in the State, where farmers paid for 50% before collection of farm input on agreement that they would pay for the remaining balance in December 2023.
The association, led by its Chairperson, Hajiya Laraba, at the end of this latest meeting paid a courtesy call to the management of FADAMA and IFAD in the state, where Hajiya Laraba on behalf of the organization, called for a synergy between AFAM, FADAMA and IFAD and appealed to them to always work with real farmers in the state not political farmers
