BEST LOAN OPTIONS FOR AGRIBUSINESS IN NIGERIA

Yusrah stood at the edge of her small tomato farm in Kaduna, the morning breeze brushing against her hijab as she watched the sky break into soft orange. At 28, she often felt the world had given her more solitude than companionship. Her parents had passed when she was young, extended family drifted away, and friendships were brief — people came and went, but the farm stayed.

Still, Yusrah dreamed loudly. Her goal was to build an agribusiness that would feed communities and give her the sense of belonging she never quite found in people. But the dream needed funding, and funding felt like a giant wall she couldn’t climb.

One day, at a local cooperatives’ meeting, she heard about a few loan programs designed specifically for people like her. For the first time in a long while, something sparked inside her — hope mixed with courage. She went home, sat at her wooden table, and began researching.

Her first breakthrough came with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA). Though she applied nervously, the small loan she received helped her buy improved seedlings and hire labour during peak season. Her lonely farm suddenly felt alive.

Next, she discovered the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund (ACGSF). With the government guaranteeing most of the loan, the bank trusted her. She installed a drip irrigation system, something she had only ever dreamed of. For the first time, she planned a dry-season harvest.

As her harvest increased, she turned to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Anchor Borrowers’ Program (ABP). This one connected her directly with off-takers — buyers who were guaranteed to purchase her produce. The program provided inputs and financing, reducing her market risk. Now her tomatoes had a ready route straight to warehouses and processors — a subtle but meaningful comfort.

Finally, reaching the “market” stage, she applied for an SME loan from the Bank of Industry (BOI). This allowed her to set up a small processing unit, turning surplus tomatoes into paste. No more waste, no more losses.

Months later, Yusrah stood on her farm again — stronger, steadier, no longer defined by loneliness but by resilience. Her agribusiness wasn’t just growing crops; it was growing her life back.

For every Nigerian agripreneur dreaming big, the path from farm to market is possible; the right financing just lights the way.

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