Experts in the agricultural sector are appealing to the Federal Government to allocate more money to the agricultural sector.
“This year, farmers in various states suffered series of crises and other challenges causing low productivity in food production and that also affected the environment, “said William Osaze, president, Society for the Promotion of People’s Right (SPPR) said when reacting to the 2017 proposed budgets for the sectors, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“That is the major reason while the government should ensure that the two sectors are given appropriate attention in the budget.
He said that the measure would go a long way in improving the environment and enhancing agricultural production in the country.
According to him, the allocation to environment and agriculture is low considering the extent of damages in the sectors.
We have always advocated for 20 percent of the total budget for agriculture,” Kabiru Ibrahim, president, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) told BusinessDay in a telephone response to questions.
“We are glad next year’s allocation to the sector has increase but the government need to do more because of the importance of agric for the growth of our national economy,” Ibrahim said.
Nigeria’s mono-product economy has squeezed state finances and threatens the implementation of the proposed 2017 budget, which benchmarks crude oil at $42per barrel.
Despite crash in revenue, the Buhari administration has shown keen interest in scaling up agriculture to raise revenue, make Nigeria food basket in Africa, create jobs and bring in foreign exchange via exportation of value-adding products.
But the present government is faced with reviving a sector challenged by poor storage facilities and processing practices as well as farming often mainly done with hand tools.
Osaze said that the government should lay serious emphasis on agriculture and environment sectors to enhance the nation`s development.
He also urged the government to put more efforts in the reduction of vehicular emission, adding that this had caused about 60 per cent of air pollution in the country.
Josephine Okojie with agency report
