IMF Says Only 24% of CBN Anchor Borrowers’ Loans Repaid
By Abdullahi Ahmad Bamalli
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has disclosed that only 24 percent of loans disbursed under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have been repaid.
The Bretton Woods institution made the disclosure in its Selected Issues paper on Nigeria, which was prepared by a staff team of the fund as background documentation for the periodic consultation with the country.
According to the IMF, the document was based on the information available as of the time it was completed on January 12, 2023.
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It said the agricultural credit in the country has not significantly boosted production even though there is the challenge of targeting the right recipients for the credit.
It noted, “The weak effect of agricultural credit on production growth could be associated with difficulties in targeting the correct recipients.”
The IMF noted that although the CBN allows farmers to pay in kind or cash under the ABP, repayments have been very low.
The document read, “For the Anchor Borrowing Programme, repayment is also low at 24 per cent, especially since repayment can be made in kind, thereby limiting the tenor of the loans to one year.
“Part of the problem is that the incentive structure for repayment is weak, the recipient loans are not always well targeted and occasionally the funding is used for other purchases (e.g., new agricultural input trading companies to elicit trading rents).”
