Food crisis looms in Gombe, SWOFON harps timely release of 2022 budgeted funds
Following the challenges of Covid-19 and poor budgetary allocation to Agriculture, Gombe State may witness food crisis.
According to Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), Gombe State chapter, Agriculture is the major occupation and forms main part of the state’s economy.
The group made this disclosure on Thursday, during a media briefing on the findings of analysis on 2022 proposed budget, organised by Hope Foundation for the Lonely (HFL) with support from ActionAid Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of SWOFON, Acting Budget Committee Chairman, Yahaya Atiku, lauded the State Government for allocating N40M to the group, while urging for timely release.
He noted that in the past funds allocated for SWOFON were not released, adding that analysis of previous budgets shows that performance has been very poor in terms of release.
The statement partly read, “We deemed it fit to comment on the budgetary allocation proposed to Agriculture in the State. This became very necessary, as a result of the current situation of looming food crisis in the State and in Nigeria due to the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic that has nearly crippled all sectors of the economy.
“Agriculture is the major occupation of the people of Gombe and forms the main part of its economy. There are many farm products from Gombe State notably; rice, groundnut, maize, sorghum and cowpea.
“Nigeria is a signatory to and is recommitted to providing at least 10% of its annual Budget to Agriculture in the 2014 Malabo Declaration and as such upholding the commitment especially as the country is facing insecurity and the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Recall that the Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya had presented 154.6BN to the state Assembly with Agriculture getting less than 2.48 percent less from the Malabo declaration.
SWOFON noted that with the foregoing it would be a tall order to eliminate hunger by 2025.
Atiku said, “Based on the findings and observations from this analysis, one of serious note is that, the monetary allocation to the Agricultural Sector has decreased for the period 2021 to 2022.
“To reduce poverty by half and to end hunger by 2025 Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), commitment would be a feat very difficult to accomplish.”
Great achivement keep it up!