SWOFON decry N30.5m budgetary allocated to extension services, FCT farmers
Despite the increase in budget allocation to extension services from N17,343,320 in 2023 to 30,500,000.00 in 2024, Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) say the allocation is not enough to address faced by the FCT extension services and farmers.
The SWOFON FCT member, Ogedengbe, SWOFON FCT, Member, Wakilat Oyiza Okeji, Budget Committee Group Member, Dorothy Onaji and Favour Yunana who jointly read the FCT 2024 Agriculture Budget Analysis in Abuja observed that the 2024 Total Statutory appropriation of the FCT is ₦1.15 trillion.
They said the allocation to the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat is 7.9 billion representing only 0.67 per cent.
” This is relatively very poor and below the 10% benchmark of the Maputo Declaration and shows the non-commitment of the FCT to the development of the agriculture sector.
On the Capital versus Recurrent Allocation, they said capital budget allocation for the FCTA-ARDS was 66.6% while that of recurrent is 33.4% which is commendable as this will give room for projects that will support agricultural development in the FCT.
” We observed the timely passage of the 2024 FCT budget as against the previous years which is quite commendable because it will give room for timely implementation of agricultural projects for increased food security in the FCT.
On agric policy, “We observe the absence of an accessible up-to-date FCTA Agricultural Policy which is expected to guide and direct public investment in agriculture in the FCT and consider this a major challenge confronting proper allocation to critical and clearly predetermined areas of interest for women farmers in their contribution to national food and nutrition security.
“There was an increase in allocation to agriculture input for 2024 which amounted to ₦710,000,000.00 compared to 2023 allocation of 101,994,800.00. However, the allocation went majorly to fertilizer only to the detriment of other inputs such as veterinary medicine and wares, improved seeds, and seedlings respectively.
On post-harvest losses, SWOFON observed that the budgetary allocation to support the reduction of post-harvest loss was reduced with about ₦813,124,160 from 813,206,960 in 2023 to 82,800 in 2024 which represent less than 1% of the previous year.
The Association called on the FCT Administration to increase budgetary allocation to agriculture secretariat by honouring the 2014 Malabo commitment of investing at least 10% of their total national budget to promote sustainable agriculture toward stimulating at least 3% growth stated by the Nigeria Government.
They urged the FCT administration to collaborate with CSOs to support FCTA in organizing a stakeholder meeting for the purpose of developing an agricultural policy for FCTA to enhance the agricultural development and economic integration in the FCT.
