Lack of credit, machinery worries Anambra farmers

…As ATASP-1 assures of improved infrastructure

From Obinna Odogwu, Ekwulobia

Agricultural Transformation Support Phase One (ATASP-1), a programme developed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB) has assured Anambra farmers of its willingness to solve some of their problems, including access to credit facilities.
This was coming on the heels of the lamentation by farmers from Omor, Anaku and Umueje communities in Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State over lack of access to credit facilities, good access road, distrust among tractor drivers, unavailability of off takers, among others, as challenges confronting them in the area.
The Zonal Outreach Specialist, ATASP-1, Adani-Omor Staple Crop Processing Zone, Chief Emmanuel Udeh, in interaction with local farmers at the weekend in Omor explained that ATASP-1 will be implemented as a five-year plan financed from the African Development Foundation (ADF) loan and grant resources respectively in four Staple Crop Processing Zones (SCPZs).
“In this phase 1 of the programme, we have seven states including Anambra, Enugu, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa and Kano and each of these areas has its specific crop mandate. Our own mandate in Omor/Adani is in rice and cassava,” he said.
The Zonal Gender and Social Development Specialist, Omor/Adani Staple Crop Zone, Mr. Chinedu Ugwuta, while introducing Innovative Platform to farmers, said the innovation was to help the value chain actors to be of mutual benefit to one another.
He further explained that Innovative Platform is an aspect of the ATASP-1 operation in which value chain actors, namely, producers of various implements, fabricators, off takers, input suppliers, thresher owners, marketers, par boilers, among others, are brought together on a platform so that each will benefit from the experiences of the others.