Maize Farmers Record 60% Production Increase

Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN) has announced a 60 per cent increase in annual production from 8 million metric tons in 2015  to 20 million metric tons in 2020.
Speaking at the formation ceremony of maize pyramids in Kaduna State, recently, the National President of MAAN, Abubakar Bello, stated that the increase recorded was as a result of the government’s intervention through the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP).
According to him, “the maize, which was sourced from across the country, is the second pyramid to be formed in Nigeria by the Association since the commencement of the ABP in 2015.
“Before this administration came in, in 2015, we only had 8 million tons of maize. But by the end of 2020, it was 20 million tons. Apart from that, farmers now have access to inputs without their money but as a loan, they get the technology under the ABP.
“Where farmers are getting 20 tons of maize, now they are getting 50 tons of maize. There is a new technology of farming, there are extension services under ABP, mechanization and monitoring and evaluation, the farmers are benefiting and they have increased their production.
“The maize mills we have in the country have increased, the processors have more companies now, they now employ more people, these are the success stories of the ABP. In one season more than one million people got jobs under ABP”, he said.
He noted that factors such as high cost of production, poor access to mechanization also impacted the cost of the produce.
Speaking on the high cost of maize, Bello said the Covid-19 pandemic was a contributory factor because input production companies could not produce due to the lock down which restricted movement.