The Nigerian Senate has urged the executive to secure the allocation of at least 10 percent of the total annual budget revenue for the enhancement of agricultural production.
Salihu Mustapha, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture Production, Services, and Rural Development, made the call in Abuja on Monday during the joint budget defense session of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, stressing the importance of heightened allocation.
Mustapha expressed that both the Senate and House Committees on Agriculture Production, Services, and Rural Development share concerns about the challenges confronting the agricultural sector.
He acknowledged that despite challenges, the non-oil sector remains the dominant force in contributing over 20 percent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.
Expressing dissatisfaction, he lamented that the budget allocation to the sector falls significantly short of the 10 percent of the nation’s budget committed under the Maputo declaration.
‘The agricultural sector has the largest potential to lead millions of Nigerians out of poverty and provide the much-needed food security.’
‘It is, therefore, imperative that the sector should be given the utmost priority in national economic policies and future budgets.’
‘I, therefore, call on the executive to exercise the political will to allocate at least 10 per cent of the national budgets and revenues to the agriculture sector,’ Mustapha said.
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He said the budget defence process was not only important but also sacrosanct. He said both chambers of the 10th assembly had demonstrated readiness and commitment to work together in order to pass the 2024 budget in good and desirable time.
Mustapha commended the efforts of President Bola Tinubu and the executive for their desire, to revert to the January to December budget cycle.
This, he said, would enable the Federal Government to provide the laudable objectives of physical infrastructure and socio-economic services to our people.
‘By this commendable effort, both the public and the private sectors will benefit from a budget cycle that is not only reliable but also predictable for planning and execution of their fiscal and financial policies and programmes.’
He assured the committee’s willingness and commitment to treat the budget process with the urgency and responsibility it deserved.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, listed the ministry’s achievement in 2023 to include the procurement and distribution of 324,718 kilogrammes of certified maize seeds to farmer clusters in the six geopolitical zones of the country.
Kyari said the ministry distributed 2,300 tomato production, pest, and disease management packs to 2,300 resourced, poor smallholder tomato farmers in 10 tomato-producing states affected by Tuta absoluta in 2022 dry season production.
He listed the states to include Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau, Nasarawa, and Benue.
He also listed the establishment of Rubber Rural Resource Centres (RRRC) with processing technology with a capacity of 1.85, including the installation and training of farmer clusters in Ogun.
‘Procured 3,000,000 doses of Anthrax Spore Vaccine for the prevention and control of Anthrax in Nigeria; conducted disease surveillance and investigation for transboundary animals and zoonotic diseases such as Anthrax, Avian Influenza, Rabies, Bovine Tuberculosis and African swine fever.’
Leveraging the National Fertiliser Management e-portal platform, the ministry has recorded the registration of over 2,351 fertiliser operators nationwide, resulting in the creation of direct and indirect employment opportunities over an extended period.
However, Kyari lamented the lack of adequate budgetary allocations to implement vital projects and programs aimed at boosting national agricultural production.
He pointed out that less than two percent of the national budget is allocated to agriculture, falling significantly short of the 10 percent agreed upon by the Africa Heads of State in the Maputo declaration.
He lamented the inadequate allocation of overhead costs to the ministry, which has impeded its capacity to fulfill operational requirements.
According to him, the disruptions caused by climate change and unprecedented flooding in different parts of the country have considerably impeded agricultural activities in many agrarian communities.