By Gift Chapi Odekina
The Federal Government has made moves to ensure food security in 2022 through collaboration with states to provide comprehensive farm inputs to rural farmers through Central Bank of Nigeria inorder to promote financial inclusiveness in agricultural sector, mitigate adverse effects of COVlD-19 and support farmers affected by incidents of flood disaster.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Abubakar made this known on Thursday during its budget defence session at the House of Representatives joint Committe on Agricultural Production and Services, and Rural Development.
Abubakar who was represented by Permanent Secretary of Ministry, Ernest Umakhihe said in the key derivables in the 2022 budget include rehabilitation and construction of Water harvesting structures and mini-earth dams in States to augment rain-fed agriculture, assist dry season farming to increase agricultural production in the country.
Others are: “Supporting food and nutritient programme to improve the quality and safety of food production consumption on agricultural value chain undertakings through proper standardization, certification and control.”
He said the Ministry will also fast-track the recapitalisation of the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Cooperation and Bank of Agriculture in collaboration with CBN, Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, and BPE.
“Implement the Green imperative Project (GIP) in collaboration with the Brazilian Government that seeks to provide 10,000 units of Tractors; 50,000 units of assorted implement and equipment to be assembled in the country. .
“Support the development of Private sector-led Agricultural commodity exchange to enable Nigeria become Agricultural Commodity Marketing hub in the West African Region and beyond.”, Minister added.
He said the total sum of N291.416 billion was proposed for agricultural sector in the 2022 year, out of which N71.840 billion is for Personnel Cost and N3.704 billion is proposed as Overhead Cost while the sum of N215. 872 billion is for capital projects and programmes.
The Minister who said N280.315 billion was appropriated to the agricultural sector in the 2021 budget, however noted that the reduction of the Ministry’s core mandate budget from
N46.990 billion to N29.938 (36.3%) make it difficult to deliver the desired impact.
Members of the House joint Committe on Agricultural Production and Services and Rural Development expressed satisfaction with the 2021 budget implementation and the N291.416 billion 2022 proposals of the Ministry but said the officials would be invited if the lawmakers find any discrepancy.
Chairman of the Agricultural Production and Services Committee, Dandutse Mohammed said the panel was aware of the various efforts of the federal government through policy formulation and special intervention programmes especially in areas of funding agricultural activities and creation of employment, as well as the devastating impact of COVlD-19 on the implementation of the 2021 budget performance.
“Therefore, as a Committee, we will work with all the MDA’s to ensure that we intensify oversight activities of the Ministry and Agencies to guarantee optimum performance and deliver the expected objectives of the programmes and policies,” he stated.
