•Maize Farmers Laud CBN's Support in Procurement of Harvesters


The Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN) has commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the leadership of Mr. Godwin Emefiele, for assisting its members with soft loans through the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) to purchase both combine and mini- harvesters to boost maize production in the country.



President of the association Dr. Bello Abubakar said the mechanization of maize farming would change the narration of the farming system in the country.


Abubakar, at the official flag-off of the 2021 harvest and commissioning of the harvesters in Taraba State, added that the strategy was in line with the association’s effort to improve its mechanization system and boost production of the commodity.


He stressed that the association had partnered with Origin Group Automobile to provide 15 combine harvesters and 32 mini harvesters to the association in the form of a loan.


He said, “MAAN decided to purchase 15 units of combine harvester and 32 units of mini harvesters in form of a loan, the group would provide the harvesters to MAAN, which would, in turn, pay 30 percent initial deposit, after harvest another 30 percent and after dry season farming 20 percent would be paid while the remaining 20 percent would be paid after next year’s wet season.”


He pointed out that the harvesters can harvest 50 to 100 hectares of farm per day, a development he said the maize farmers are happy about as they would have needed to employ at least 50 people to harvest on the farm.



The MAAN president in a statement said the harvesters would be first deployed to about 12 states with the largest hectares and subsequently to other states across the country.


He said the machinery would boost maize production in the country through mechanization.