L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Environmental and Rural Mediation Center(ENVIRUMEDIC), Chief Monday Ogheneruona Itoghor (2nd) flanked by other members of the group addressing the press on Friday
By Samuel Ogude
Delta State government has been called upon to increase budgetary allocation to Agriculture to enable farmers go into massive food production to save the country from hunger.
This call was made by Delta State Budget Committee Group (BCG) and Small -Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria(SWOFON). The group which works in collaboration with Environmental and Rural Mediation Centre (ENVIRUMEDIC) with the support from Action Aid Nigeria said, the 2025 budgetary allocation for agriculture in terms of percentage is 0.96% of the total State Budget which is lower than that of the 2024 budget which stood at 1.26%.
Addressing news men on Friday, the Chief Executive Officer, Environmental and Rural Mediation Center(ENVIRUMEDIC), Chief Monday Ogheneruona Itoghor who spoke on behalf of the group said, budgetary allocation is contrary to the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security which was adopted by African Heads of State at the African Union’s Second Ordinary Assembly in July 2023 which includes a commitment for countries to allocate at least, 10% of their National and State budgets to Agriculture.
He hinted that, despite the critical role Agriculture plays in the lives and livelihood of millions of Nigerians, successive governments have fallen short of the 10% budgetary target, which according to him, has made the sector underfunded and its potential unrealized. According to him, while it is good to allocate enough budget for capital projects, agriculture which will bring food to the table of Deltans should not be downplayed as without food, the people would not be alive to utilize the infrastructural projects put in place for them.
His words:”The 2025 budget shows percentage increase in capital allocation and reduction in recurrent 64%:36%. This indicates that the government desires to spend more in projects that will benefit the lives of the citizens”.
The Chief Executive Officer of ENVIRUMEDIC said, based on the a 2.3 growth rate of the 2006 population census, Delta population 2024 projected population is 5,636,100 adding that, with the allocation of N9,431,723,616 to Agricultural sector, the per capita investment will amount to N1,673.4. He added, this shows how low value attached to state development and poverty reduction as the spending is still grossly inadequate in view of the current economic challenges, trends and depreciation in the value of the Naira.
According to him, since women and youths are more in number that go into agriculture especially at the community levels, it is imperative that provision for intervention be made to address their needs.
ENVIRUMEDIC boss said, it is no news that agriculture is capable of providing employment to the teeming youths in Delta State yet no specific allocation was made for them in Agriculture in the 2025 agriculture as only the sum of N1,000,000 was allocated to provide agriculture equipment for the Young Farmers Club Support Team which is targeted at learners/students of Primary/Secondary Schools, among others.
According to him, for there to be food security, Delta State government should increase the allocation to Agricultural sector, prioritize the timely and full release of capital budget allocation earmarked for agriculture development, especially small holder farmers, Civil Society Organization, small holder women farmers and key stakeholders should be actively involved in the budgetary process, among others.