Women Farmers Task RSG On Agric Budget

The Nigerian Association of Women in Agriculture (NAWIA) Rivers State chapter has Rivers State Government to increase the budgetary allocation to the agricultural sector to boost agricultural activities in the state.
State President of the association, Precious Agbaru gave the charge when she embarked on an advocacy visit to the office of Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), Rumuodamanya, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.
Agbare noted that the agricultural sector would only achieve desired results of transforming the fortunes of the state through strong budgetary allocation and prompt and adequate release of such funds to the sector.
She reasoned that the sector can only be transformed into the hub of the non-oil economic sector of the state if it is well funded.
According to her “a look at the states budgets over the years shows that allocations to the agricultural sector have not been encouraging and this calls for urgent steps to be taken to remedy it”.
She expressed regrets, saying that successive governments in the state had not worked out consistent and progressive policies for a robust agricultural sector and wondered why such a crucial sector should be deprived of funds.
Agbaru lamented that small famers, predominantly made up of women, have been on their own struggling to keep afloat due to lack of funding and their inability to access bank facilities.

Tonye Nria-Dappa