The ActionAid Nigeria, in collaboration with Kogi State Budget Committee Group (BCG), has called on the state Government to increase budgetary credit facilities to smallholders women farmers to increase food sufficiency and security.
This is as it also advocated for the review of existing policies and framework on Agriculture to facilitate increased funding and prompt release of budgetary allocations to the sector.
Hamza Aliyu, a member of the BCG and Executive Director, Initiative for Grassroots Advancement (INGRA), made the call over the weekend while presenting the “Draft Analysis of the 2023 Kogi State Approved Agriculture Budget Estimates” to members
The Executive Director of INGRA commended the state Government for the allocation of N1 billion to Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS) in this year draft budget which is before the House of Assembly for passage.
Aliyu, however suggested that while part of the amount should be given out as credit, a part should be used to create a yearly Strengthening Access to Credit budget line.
He said that in the last thirteen years, the highest annual budgetary allocations to the Agriculture sector in the state was 6.6 per cent which was a far cry from the 2003 Maputo Declaration of 10 per cent commitment.
“It is imperative that the Ministry of Agriculture reviews existing policies and prepares a coherent policy framework that incorporates the change agenda of the administration which will provide a good anchor and basis for budget formulation and implementation.
“This can be done by progressively increasing the budget. The increase should also be channeled to capital expenditure and increase in overheads that facilitates the realization of the sector’s objectives.
“The capital expenditure should be more of developmental capital expenditure as against administrative capital expenditure”, he said.
Aliyu noted that less than twenty three per cent of smallholder women farmers had access to formal credit and therefore called on kogi state Ministry of Agriculture to create a yearly Strengthening Access to Credit budget line.
He also called for the development of an enabling environment and policy framework that would enable smallholder farmers especially women, youths and farmers living with disability easy access to credit on single-digit interest rates.
The Executive Director of INGRA noted that the allocation of N600 million to Extension Services and provision for Post-harvest loses reduction intervention in the 2023 budget estimate was in the right direction to prevent losses and shore up finances of the farmers.
He however reiterated the need to improve allocation for purchase of farm inputs such as fertilizers for subsidy farmers as well as increased funding for purchase of small milling machines and other labour saving machines for smallholder farmers.
Aliyu further stressed that there was need for enhanced legislative oversight of the Agriculture sector, enhanced smallholder women farmers organisations and CSOs in the budget processes.
He also called for improved funding for Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture (CRSA)/ Agroecology and improved allocation for research and development in the Agriculture Budget of the state.
Speaking earlier, Mr Mathias Okpanachi, Chairman of the state BCG, said the draft analysis of the 2023 approved Agriculture Budget Estimates was aimed at addressing the implementation gaps in previous agricultural budget allocations in the state.
Okpanachi added that the analysis was also aimed at strengthening the group’s position in making inputs during the Public hearing of the Budget at the state House of Assembly to make the budget responsive to food security and wealth creation.
The Budget Committee Group (BCG) members were drawn from Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) and other Agriculture biased Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) operating in the state.
