Oyo Govt States Criteria for Disbursing N1bn Loan to Farmers

The Chairman, Oyo State Agricultural Credit Corporation of Oyo State (ACCOS), Sheikh Taofik Akeugbagold, has stated the criteria being used to disburse the one billion naira loan to farmers to ensure geographical spread.

Akeugbagold made the revelation during a sensitisation tour of the seven geo-political zones in the state, which ended today.

The Muslim cleric also said that to access the N1 billion single-digit interest loan under the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER) sub-committee, an applicant must be a duly recognised farmer.

Speaking further on the criteria for the disbursement at Oke-Ogun Zone 1, Iseyin area, Sheikh Akeugbagold revealed that the reason for the tour was to interact with and identify genuine farmers in the state.

He hinted that the corporation would guard against giving loans to ‘farmers on paper’, saying this would ensure that the target farmers benefited from the gesture.

The chairman explained that after the sensitization exercise, application forms could be obtained at each local government council at the office of the Director of Agriculture.

He added that the ACCOS Field Officers and the identified banks in each domain would be involved in the process.

Speaking on the conditions for qualification, the chairman said the form could only be collected individually free of charge.

He stressed that social media or the Internet was not a sales point, adding that no official of the board or the Ministry of Agriculture would liaise with residents via the Internet.

Akeugbagold said an applicant would need a civil servant from grade level 07 and above as a guarantor, depending on the amount of the loan requested.

“We are moving around the 7 zones of the state to sensitise farmers on the need and where to access the N1bN loan under the SAfER Sub-committee of Food Security.

“The forms will be out after the sensitization tour, and they will be available for collection free of charge through the directors of agriculture in their various councils, the severed banks, and ACCOS, and the form is not online. However, please note that group lending will not be entertained,” the board chairman stressed.

In his remarks, the General Manager of the board, Comrade Emmanuel Ogundiran, revealed that farmers owing the board, the state government, or any of the participating financial institutions would not have access, unless they were cleared by the board or the participating institutions.

He hinted that the exercise would not be politicised in any form, saying that the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has equally trained farmers on climate resilience.

Ogundiran added that the government had put plans in place to enhance peaceful co-existence between herders and farmers through continuous meetings with the affected parties.

In his address at Ibarapa Zone, Commissioner 3 of the Civil Service Commission, Chief Ogunjinmi, commended Governor Makinde for being a visionary leader whose efforts in the agricultural sector would forever be appreciated, urging the farmers to make judicious use of the loan when granted.