By Obansa Ibrahim, Lokoja
Stakeholders working on the Kogi State 2025 Agriculture Budget, has tasked the State Government to invest more in Agriculture to boost food security and promote agricultural business in the state.
This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the Consultative meeting by stakeholders on the Kogi State 2025 Agriculture Budget organised by the Small Scale women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON) in collaboration with the Kogi state Budget Committee, with support from ActionAid Nigeria.
The stakeholders while commending the state government over increase allocations to women and youth in agriculture in the 2024 budget cycle, however said more investment is required to guarantee food security.
The communique stated that there is need to review existing policies and framework on agriculture and initiate a comprehensive policy framework that incorporates the change agenda
“It was agreed that there should be an increase in funding to the Agriculture sector to meet the 10% Maputo declaration.
“We recommend that allocation to the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS) should be given a sustainable attention and specific sum should be given out as credit, a part should be used to create a yearly Strengthening Access to Credit budget line.
“Records shows that Smallholder women farmers currently have access to less than 23% formal credit, therefore, Kogi State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security should create a yearly Strengthening Access to Credit budget line.
“This funding, should focus on getting consultants or consultancy firms to support women, youths and farmers living with disability cooperatives to be able to navigate the too cumbersome access to credit in Nigeria”
Earlier, the ActionAid Nigeria Food and Agriculture Programme Advisor, Blessing Akhile explained that it is very important for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to increase budgetary allocation to ensure food production and poverty alleviation in Kogi State.
Akhile pointed out that ActionAid Nigeria is passionately interested in how the stakeholders will be able pursue the budgetary allocation to help achieve their objectives.