Farmers react to late budget signed by President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari

Farmers have described the 2018 national budget just signed by President Muhammadu Buhari as being late to the need of farming activities for the year saying that agricultural activities are time bound.

President Muhammadu Buhari has yesterday signed the budget for 2018 for implementation towards economic development of the nation, an action some farmers have viewed as rather becoming too late for food security.

Speaking with Food Farm News, the National Coordinator, Zero Hunger Commodity Association of Nigeria (ZEHUCOAN) Dr.Tunde Arosanyin said that the budget is coming late at the middle of the year to rescue food security situation of the country pointing that the delay has affected early planting of rainy season as the usual support of the government to farmers were not forth coming due to non-availability of fund.

Dr. Arosanyin said that we are already at the middle of the year when the wet season planting had gone with neglect to farmers towards production preparation against next year food security pointed that the delay in the budget process in Nigeria was negatively impacting on our development and the issue must be seriously tackled.

He also condemned the budget percentage to agriculture going by the Maputo Declaration of which Nigeria is a signatory saying that “The budget of 2018 just being signed today 20^th of June is rather coming too late. First, agriculture is tied to time and weather just as the budget may not come to full implementation in the next three months by the time the rain will be winding up in the North and middle belt which are the hubs of agricultural production. Secondly, the allocation to agricultural sector is less than 3.2% which is very low to drive the largest economy in Africa. The Maputo declaration of 2003 committed African countries to allocate 10% of total budget to agriculture. Never the less it is advisable to avoid leakages at the implementation by meeting the farmers at the farm gate with inputs, credit and market”

Other farmers who spoke under anonymity said that the budget delay has affected the farming activities that supposed to have taken place during the rainy season, but also mentioned the negative impact of climate change saying all stakeholders must take the NIMET prediction very serious.

Visit to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) revealed that many value chains of the crops have not been doing anything according  sources as lack of budget has delayed many of their activities to farmers towards food security.