The Federal Government has been called upon to begin the allocation of 10 per cent of its annual budget to the agricultural sector in order to boost food production in the country.
The Deputy Country Director, Actionaid Nigeria, an NGO, Mrs Ifeoma Charles-Monwuba, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
She said the call was in line with the objectives of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) created by the African Union (AU) to drive economic integration.
Mrs Charles-Monwuba said Nigeria and other African countries had yet to meet CAADP’s commitment of allocating 10 per cent of their annual budgets to agriculture.
“This is in spite of Nigeria’s ongoing implementation of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA).’’
According to her, progress in agricultural development can only be measured through the framework of CAADP.
“Basically, there has to be a structural change in the sector for any meaningful progress to be made.
“That is why we have been pushing that Nigeria sticks to the contract it has signed on the CAADP.
“Whatever agricultural transformation agenda or any other plan it has, should be situated within CAADP.
“That way, we will be able to measure Nigeria’s progress through the framework of CAADP.”
Charles-Monwuba added that more needed to be done in ensuring that small farmers benefitted more under the New Alliance for Food and Nutrition scheme.
She said policies must be made to have maximum impact not just on the economy, but also on the average citizen.
“In the alliance, the Federal Government should not just focus on macro-economic indicators of attracting investment into the country but also on the sub-national level.
“They should look at the impact on the life of Nigerians, starting with the small farmers, especially the women, making sure that they are guaranteed access and where possible, control of land and farm inputs.
“When they produce, the government makes sure that they have access to market, because first of all, the standard of export is quite high,’’ she said.
She said Nigeria was growing at 7.5 per cent amidst increasing poverty which needed to be addressed.
She reiterated the need for the governments at all levels to ensure that the smallholder farmers were assured of access to local markets through the provision of infrastructure such as roads.
This, she contended, would make it possible for them to transport their produce from farms to the markets with ease.