Some agriculture experts have called for the appropriate disbursement of Brazil’s $1.2 billion loan to boost Nigeria’s agriculture modernisation.

The experts made the call in separate interviews on Thursday in Lagos.

The federal government recently signed a $1.2 billion memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Development Bank of Brazil to modernise agriculture in Nigeria.

The loan is intended to improve agriculture mechanisation and set up modern agro-centres across the country with a credit facility.

Akin Alabi, an agriculture consultant, called on the government to ensure the appropriate disbursement of funds to get the intended results in the sector.

Mr Alabi stated, “More funds are always required to boost agriculture productivity either from local or foreign developmental partners. With the $1.2 billion loan from Brazil to boost agriculture modernisation in Nigeria, the question is will this fund be administered adequately?

“Will the funds get to the real grassroots smallholder farmers? Either commercial or large-scale farmers? What will be the disbursement model of this fund? Will it be given to the farmers as loans or grants? “These are the questions we need to ask so that we do not have ‘portfolio’ or ‘political’ farmers take the funds, and it does not reflect across all value chains in the agriculture sector.”

Mr Alabi explained that the funds can be used to enhance agro-production, processing, extension services, irrigation farming, greenhouses, value chain additions and reduction of post-harvest losses.

“These are areas the funds can be adequately utilised to give us the desired modernisation in the Nigerian agriculture sector,” he said.

Fadlullah Issa, a fellow at the National Agriculture Extension Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), said it was pertinent that the nation moved from subsistence farming to modernised farming.

Mr Issa explained that current research indicates that a substantial percentage of Nigerian farmers (80 to 90 per cent) are still cutlass and hoe farmers. 

“Yet, we are making claims that we have tractors available to local farmers, but when you go to the rural areas, these farmers will tell you they saw a tractor,” noted Mr Issa. “To take Nigerian agriculture to the next level, the use of machinery is the key thing.”

He added, “The application of appropriate recommended practices, in terms of agrochemicals, a soil test, among others, is necessary for modernisation. 

“The population is growing, and food security is threatened, so the best way to utilise this loan is to disburse it appropriately to the right channels.’”

He also reiterated the importance of the funds reaching the real farmers they were intended for and not otherwise.

Mr Issa explained that these funds should not be disbursed to ‘political’ farmers; a major part of the Anchor’s Borrowers Scheme funds went to unintended beneficiaries, so the noise of not recovering the funds was rampant.

He added, “To disburse the funds, there should be a policy plan. Also, we must strengthen our extension services to promote the modernisation of the sector. If we want to modernise the agriculture sector and education is out of the equation, then what are we modernising? We must train more extension agents to propel this modernisation quest.”

(NAN)