Enugu farmers lament poor access to loans, seek Government support

Enugu state amalgamated Farmers’ society have decried their alienation from accessing federal and state government loans.

This was made known by the leader of the Cooperative, Chief Obi Okonkwo, during a courtesy visit to the former deputy president of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu.

Okonkwo led other members of the cooperative to visit the ex-deputy in Enugu.

According to him, one of the major challenges facing the farmers is their inability to access loans from both the federal and Enugu state governments.

He said, “We don’t always have access to the loans for farmers given by the state government or the Federal Government via the Central Bank of Nigeria. We would like you to assist us in this regard.

In response, Ekweremadu pledged to assist the farmers in their quest to access loans. He noted that it was necessary to address the issue as a failure to do so could hamper the development of mechanised agriculture in the state.

He said, “We will do something possible to address the problem and support you. Your counterparts in the North have been getting the loan and I do not know you people have not been getting.

“We hope to change the farming you do here to modern and advanced farming as is done abroad. We hope to replicate advanced farming or agriculture in this part of the world.

“Your coming today is to lay the foundation for a better tomorrow and we are forming a partnership this morning. I am going to pay more attention to the CBN agric loan since you have mentioned it.”