GROWING WHAT WE EAT

The Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (details below) has made available N82 billion in funding to 350,000 farmers of Rice, Wheat, Maize, Cotton, Cassava, Poultry, Soy Beans and Groundnut; who have cultivated about 400,000 hectares of land.
The ABP has substantially raised local production of rice; yields have doubled from 2-3 tonnes per hectare in areas; Nigeria’s paddy production has doubled compared to 2014 levels.
Between 2016 and 2018, eight new rice mills have come on- stream in Nigeria.
More than a billion dollars of private sector investments in the production of Rice, Wheat, Sugar, Poultry, Animal Feed, Fertilizers, etc, since 2015.
Nigeria’s milled rice production has increased by about 60 percent, from 2.5 million MT in 2015, to 4 million MT in 2017.
The Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (which involves a partnership with the Government of Morocco, for the supply of phosphate), has resulted in the revitalization of 14 blending plants across the country, with a total installed capacity in excess of 2 million MT. The benefits include annual savings of US$200 million in foreign exchange, and
₦60 billion annually in budgetary provisions for Fertilizer subsidies. The Scheme has also made it possible for Farmers to purchase Fertilizer at prices up to 30 percent cheaper than previously available.