ActionAid, YFarm lament poor implementation of agric budgets

Action Aid Nigeria and the Youth Farm Initiative have bemoaned poor execution of budgets to the agricultural sector. 

They lamented that despite the paltry budgets of less than three per cent appropriated to the sector, there is little or no release of funds for capital projects.

The programme officers maintained that for farmers to feel the impact of the government expenditure in the agricultural sector, there must be 100 per cent implementartion of the capital component of the budget, as it is only the capital component that could impact on the businesses and lives of farmers. 

The ActionAid Food and Agriculture Programme Officer, Azubuike Nwokoye and the Programme Manager of YFarm Project, Nnae Mego, lamented that the federal government had not been able to achieve its commitment to the Maputo Declaration of at least 10 per cent of the national budget to the agricultural sector. 

They both spoke in Abuja at the Youth Farm first national colloquium and the third National Youth and Women Agriculture festival.

He called on the government to provide enabling environment for the private sector operators to thrive, adding that the government should increase budget allocations to the sector to at least 10 per cent.

The ActionAid program officer also pointed the need for the government to assist farmers in reducing post-harvest loses and boost access to credit at the single digit interest rate.