From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria, Kogi Budget Committee and ActionAid, Nigeria have called on the Kogi state government to increase budgetary allocation to agricultural sector.
The Groups also solicited prompt release of funds to farmers in the state to carry out their agricultural activities at the appropriate farming seasons.
The Groups made their position known at a press briefing to analyse year 2023 Kogi state budget in Lokoja on Thursday.
Hamza Aliyu, the Executive Director, Initiative for Grassroot Advancement (Nigeria) and Member, Budget Committee Group who made the presentation, decried N9.5bn budgetary allocation to agricultural sector for 2023 representing 5.3% which he described as grossly inadequate.
He said that the needed budgetary percentage to agriculture should not be below 10% adding that agric budget is more of capital than recurrent.
“Funding agriculture properly is more important than any other sector of economy inview of its roles to ensure food security and wealth creation. It is very disturbing that out of the N172bn Kogi budget, agric was allocated only 5.3% becoming one of the least sectors”
Aliyu however, commended government for increase in budgetary allocation to areas like women farmers, farm inputs, agric extension services and post harvest losses.
Aliyu enumerated the recommendations of the groups as follows; the need to review existing policies and framework on agriculture, increase funding to the sector to meet the 10% Maputo declaration, improvement on commercial agriculture, extension services, post harvest losses, release of budgetary allocation to women farmers, purchase of farm inputs, enhanced legislative oversight, climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture as well as Research and Development.