WARRI/Nigeria: The Budget Committee Group (BCG) of Delta state, has said that the budgetary allocations for the agriculture sector of the state from 2012-2021 had been grossly inadequate and not meeting the Malabo 10% benchmark for agriculture.
The group further noted that poor release of funds to the sector continues to impede the government’s capacity to drive socioeconomic development in the state including food security in the past and current years.
The group made this known at the just concluded 1-day Public Financing for Agriculture Budget Committee Advocacy (PFA-BCA) Summit organised by Environmental and Rural Mediation Centre (ENVIRUMEDIC) in collaboration with BCG, on Wednesday 24, November, 2021, at Freshville hotel, Okuokoko.
In his address, the Executive Director of ENVIRUMEDIC, Chief Monday Itoghor, said, “the summit is an annual event that brings all members of BCG across Delta state together to share experience, best practices, and build a link towards Scaling Up Public Investments in Agriculture (SUPIA).” Continuing, Itoghor said, “the summit also avail us an opportunity of appraising the activities of the group in 2021, noting its achievements, challenges, and thereupon, proffer measures to scaling up the group’s activities, and also make recommendations to Delta state government on how to improve production in the agriculture sector in the coming years.
In the same vein, the Senior Programme Officer of ENVIRUMEDIC, Mr. Lucky Enegide, presented a detailed update of the group’s activities in the period under review. He spoke eloquently on how Scaling Up Public Investments in Agriculture will catalyze a positive change in the agriculture value chain in Delta state.
Topical areas of discussion at the plenary session of the summit were: success made so far by BCG, inherent challenges, strategies for budget advocacies, and engagements for implementation by the committee.
Speaking at the summit, Executive Directors of VREI; One Love Community Development Initiative; and African Centre for Environmental and Rural Development (ACERD), Pastor Edewor Egedegbe, Dr. Andrew Agboro, and Mr. Fred Nohwo, advanced potent suggestions that will put the group in better shape to making greater achievements in the coming years.
The highpoint of the summit was drafting and endorsement of a communiqué by the twenty seven Civil Society Groups that attended the summit.
The communiqué was jointly read and presented to journalists by Chief Monday Itoghor, Pastor Edewor Egedegbe and Oso Faith.
The communiqué observed as follows: “agriculture budget allocations in Delta state from 2012-2021 is below the Maputo/Malabo declaration benchmark of 10%. Poor release of funds to the sector continues to impede the capacity of the state government to drive socioeconomic development including food security within the policy thrust of the diversification of the economy towards agriculture. Some MDAs do not respect the freedom of information (FOI) Act as regards to public access to budget proposals, appropriation, releases, and utilization of funds.
“Without solving food-farm security issues, we cannot solve the state security issues. And with rising hunger and social insecurity, the peace of the state will continue to be threatened. Farms are getting abandoned due to social security threats and natural disasters. Making farms safe with adequate funding, agricultural mechanization will create not only more food but also jobs to engage restless youths that have turned to crime for a living.
”Smallholder women farmers have continually been given a back seat in the discussion, planning, and implementation of agricultural budget, despite their role of contributing over 70% of agricultural production.
“There is inadequate awareness and knowledge on the CAADP/Malabo performance indicators by stakeholders (Ministries, Departments and Agencies, State Ministries, Farmers Organisations, CSOs, Private Sectors, etc).
Continuing, the communiqué made the following recommendations:
”The Governor and State House of Assembly should scale up public investment in agriculture, and ensure timely consideration, passage, and total budget releases as a strategic approach to increasing food production, reduce hunger and poverty, and achieve at least the 10% Maputo/Malabo commitment.
“Public investment in agriculture should be scaled up in the specific areas of extension services, access to credit, women in agriculture, youth in agriculture, appropriate labour-saving technologies, inputs, post-harvest losses reduction supports(processing facilities, storage facilities, training, market access,etc), climate resilient sustainable agriculture, agro-ecology, research and development, monitoring and evaluation, as well as coordination.
“The state ministry of agriculture should create awareness/sensitization of stakeholders on the new agricultural policy as part of effort towards promoting improved citizen participation in budget process.
“The existing relationship between the State Government and the Non-States actors should be strengthened in a bid to promote accountability and transparency in public resource management.
“There is a need to bring more smallholder farmers to the front of the Budget planning discussion at the state level. Women need to be brought side by side their male counterpart in the discussion and planning of agricultural budget and its implementation.
“The yearly state agriculture budget should be more gender responsive by providing line items for the implementation of the National Gender Policy in agriculture that address specific challenges that affect women farmers different from men as well as avoid lumping up budget for women farmers and other groups such as youths.
“There is need to have stable investment plan for the agricultural sector. Such plan will highlight the commitment of the state, PPP windows and their alignment to the state economic policy and development plans.
“As approved by the 14th National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development (NCARD), the three tiers of government should commit 10% of their annual budget to the agriculture sector to meet the 10% Maputo/Malabo declaration required to support at least 6% growth rate for the sector as postulated in the CAADP framework.
“For improved CAADP biennial reporting to the AUC, there should be continuous adoption of the use of CAADP/Malabo indicators at state level and capacity building of state level stakeholders on the CAADP/Malabo performance indicators.
“In the light of poor budget releases, MDAs need to itemize their priorities and give proper timeline that synchronizes with farmers and farm season. Without such timed budget, capital budget releases may not be coming at the time when farmers need them.
“Considering the agricultural risk, rising insecurity in farms – farm raiding, destructions of crops by cattle, kidnappings, climate and other natural disasters, farmers are not encouraged to continue farming without risk covers. Hence, the state government should promote agricultural insurance policies for smallholder farmers while combating the poor security issues that threaten our farms.”
“The state government is urged to respect the FOI Act and provide access to budget information
“Strengthen the monitoring of implementation of Agricultural projects in the budget by relevant stakeholders such as the Ministry of Agriculture and agriculture committees in the state assembly, farmers and CSOs.
“Capacity building synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and relevant stakeholders in order to achieve continuous update and development towards ensuring proper implementation and interpretation of the yearly budget.”
While appreciating the media, the stakeholders urged them to increase their collaboration with the civil society groups in promoting increased investment in agriculture.
Present at the summit were The Healthy Real Initiative for Valued Entrepreneurship (THRIVE), Value Rebirth and Empowerment Initiative (VREI), Nobel Delta Women for Peace and Development International, Initiative for Peace and Sustainability (IPAS), Environmental and Rural Mediation Centre (ENVIRUMEDIC), African Centre for Environmental and Rural Development (ACERD), Community Empowerment and Development Initiative (CEDI), Development Initiative for Community impact (DICI), Small Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON), One Love Community Development Initiative, Hands2Help International Foundation (H2H), Entrepreneurship Skills for Initiative for Peace and Development, Eziodu Initiative for Sustainable Environmental Development (ESISED), Greensphere Initiative and Free Life Initiative, among others.
