Minister of Agricultureand Rural Devt, Chief Audu Ogbeh
Farmers
By Chidinma Agu
Lagos, May 17, 2018 (NAN) Dr Chinedum Eluwa, President, Grasscutters Farmers Association of Nigeria (GRAFAN), said on Thursday that the association would soon access loans for members through the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP).
Eluwa made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
He said that the association was putting all necessary documents together so that members could benefit from the scheme.
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“Most of them do not have the fund to acquire the initial breeding stock.
“Lack of know-how and lack of knowledge on how to breed and handle them (grasscutters) and lack of enough money to purchase the cage.
“If these three things are handled, l think every grasscutter farmer or intending grasscutter farmer, is going to be successful in the business.
“We are hoping that before the end of this year, we should be ready with our documents to go for the ABP – the Anchor Borrowers Programme; to be able to acquire more loans for farmers, who want to go into grasscutter farming
“So that as an association, we can simply get into grass cutter farming; collectively move stage by stage.”
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The Anchor Borrowers’ Programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is targeted at boosting the agricultural potential of the country.
Eluwa said that grasscutters could be farmed within residential areas, noting that the animal had no offensive odour and would not make noise.
He said that the farmer could commence farming with a colony which comprised one male and two females and could later expand the cage as they multiplied.
Eluwa said that grasscutters were easy to breed as they survived on grasses, fruits, cassava tubers and supplements. (NAN)
ACA/AJA/YEE
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Edited by Adeleye Ajayi/Emmanuel Yashim