Agriculture
By Uwumarogie Peter
Gombe, Sept. 25, 2018 (NAN) Alhaji Abbas Umar, a rice farmer in Gombe State, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for sustaining the agriculture policies that had transformed the sector beyond expectation.
Umar, who gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Tuesday said he became a millionaire since he heeded government urge for Nigerians to embrace back to the land policy.
He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari has provided the right policies that have attracted most people to farming.
The president has done well for strengthening agriculture through Central Bank Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrower programme.
“The loans, fertiliser, improved seedlings and the other farming assistance that the present administration is giving is making young people go into agriculture.
“Today, fertiliser is affordable and accessible.“
According to him, his investment in agriculture has made him a millionaire, saying that he has engaged over 200 youths through direct and indirect labour in different agribusiness ventures.
He said agriculture remained the only sector that could guarantee maximum returns on investments.
Umar noted that agriculture had the capacity to make every Nigerian a millionaire with the provision of enabling environment.
He said Buhari had also provided the right agriculture-driven policies that had attracted everyone to farming thus, making farmers wealthy.
“Agriculture has made me a millionaire, and not just that, I have employed over 200 youths through direct and indirect labour working in my rice farm.
“Last year, I invested N10 million in rice farming but due to low rainfall, I didn’t make as much as I would. Even with the poor yield, I got back my money with some profits.
“ I am comfortable with farming and I don’t think any organisation can pay me what agriculture is paying me now; not even as a civil servant will I earn as much money.
“Agriculture is one sector that if you put your money, you won’t regret doing so. If all Nigerians go into agriculture with the right environment, we all can become millionaires.
Umar, who also grows millet, maize and beans urged Nigerians to accord agriculture the need recognition.
“Nigerians must stop looking down on farming as a vocation for the uneducated, pointing out that graduates who took to farming were also now making huge profits from it.“(NAN)
UP/KOO/DUA
Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa/Dada Ahmed