The Senior Agricultural Advisor to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Abba Gambo, has expressed concern over the inadequate budget allocation for the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
As contained in the 2024 budget appropriation bill, N110.25bn was earmarked for the ministry.
When converted, this is less than one per cent of the over N28tn 2024 appropriation bill approved by the National Assembly.
This is contrary to the 2003 Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security, where African countries including Nigeria agreed to ensure that 10 percent of the national budget would be allocated to agriculture development.
Reacting, Gambo who described the realignment of the national budget to January every year as a historic move commended President Bola Tinubu for sustaining it.
The NGF advisor, who said this in an interview with newsmen, explained that the figure was far less than the commitment of the Maputo declaration.
He said, “Similarly, with an all-time high food inflation rate at 31.5 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, and the lingering security challenges in the core food basket states, the hope to end food insecurity in Nigeria has been dimmed.
Considering the appropriated amount, Gambo said navigating through such a myriad of perennial crises would be a very daunting task for the brand-new Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
