THE IMPACT OF AGRICULTURAL LOAN SCHEME TOWARDS THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC GROWTH

THE IMPACT OF AGRICULTURAL LOAN SCHEME TOWARDS THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC GROWTH

ABSTRACT

Financing Agriculture has been a disturbing phenomenon for a long period in the Nigerian economy. Various measures were taken by governments of the Federation to help fill the wide gap of the need of financing and the availability of the finance through credit.

One of the known bold efforts was the establishment of Nigerian Agricultural and Co-operative Bank (NACB), in November, 24^th 1972 which was inaugurated

A further step towards this financing is the transformation of the Nigerian Agricultural and Co-operative Bank (NACB), into Nigerian Agricultural, Co-operative and Rural Development Bank (NACRDB).

This was after merging the former Peoples Bank of Nigeria (PBN), the risk assets of the Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP). This is said to be the biggest development finance institution in Nigeria, fully owned and subscribed to for its shares by Federal Ministry of Finance incorporated 60%, and the Central Bank of Nigeria, 40%.

The merger that brought about the emergence of the new outfit, brought about ex branch network expansion and by the year 2002, the Zaria branch of the bank was established.

The objective of this study therefore is to find out the impact of the gamut of financing scheme meant for the agricultural industry with particular reference to the branch’s area of coverage, in Zaria.