Farmers under the auspices of Maize Association of Nigeria (MAN), Sunday, assured President MuhammaduBuhari, on the production of enough maize and availability for the country.
This was contained in a statement signed by the national president, MAN, Dr Bello Abubakar Funtua.
The association disclosed that its target for the 2020 wet season farming was placed at 22 million metric tonnes with all plans on the ground and with the steady support of the federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Anchor Borrowers Programme.
According to the statement, the federal government’s recent ban on maize importation has increased demand from local farmers.
The association also commended President Buhari for the bold and strategic decision and described it as a step in the right direction towards making the attainment of food security a reality.
It further appreciated the support received from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, especially the palliatives its members all over the country received from the ministry in the form of farm inputs.
However, it pointed out that in order to bridge the deficit occasioned by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, recent floods, and drought in some parts of the country, it would embark on dry season farming at the commercial level to scale up production.
