As the rainy season commences, the Kwara State Government has established a 15-man committee to oversee the distribution of farm inputs to genuine farmers in the state.

According to a news report from Punch, Oladipo Temple, the Assistant Press Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, revealed that the committee includes the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Oloruntoyosi Thomas, as Chairman. Other members comprise the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development, the Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development, and the Senior Special Assistant on Community Development.

More members are drawn from Civil Society Organisations to support the efforts of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Funke Sokoya; the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics; and the Managing Director of Kwara ADP, Dr. Khadijat Alege.

The committee also includes the Kwara State Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, the Kwara State AFAN Chairman, the State Coordinator, the State Chairman of the Soybean Association, a representative of Women in Agriculture, a representative of the Maize Farmers Association, the Director of Agriculture Services, and Hajia Hafsat Hussein, who will serve as Secretary.

The Committee, among others, is to ensure the smooth distribution of the inputs, proper coordination and logistics, and other responsibilities, which may arise before, during, and after the exercise.

According to the Commissioner, the committee will set out before the week runs out to distribute the inputs to the farmers in accordance with the details of the captured beneficiaries.

Arewa PUNCH further recalls that the state government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, had earlier carried out a registration and verification exercise to ascertain the real farmers at their farm lands.

Meanwhile, a consortium of Civil Society Prganisations with concern for agriculture development and women farmers have called for increased budgetary allocation to the sector in Kwara State.

Speaking with journalists on the analysis of the 2024 Kwara State Agriculture Budget carried out by the CSOs in Ilorin, the state capital on Monday, the group, led by the CCEPE CEO, Abdurrahman Ayuba, lamented that the total state budget for 2024 is lower than the 2023 budgetary allocation.

The group which included the Budget Committee Group (BCG) in conjunction with the Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria, among others with support from Actionaid Nigeria and the Centre for Community Empowerment and Poverty Eradication noted: “From our analysis, it is apparent that the percentage of the total agriculture budget to the total state budget is low compared with that of 2023.

“The percentage of agriculture budget to the total state budget in 2023 is 2.12 per cent while that of 2024 is 1.49 per cent. There was a drop of 0.63 per cent. The 1.49 per cent budgeted for agriculture in 2024 is far below the international benchmark.

“Therefore, we urge the government to increase its agriculture budget to meet the 10 per cent Maputo/Malabo Declaration and Commitment”.

The group also advocated that more attention should be given to smallholder farmers in terms of budgetary provision for hand-held devices such as mini tractors, weeders, planters, etc.

“This will reach more farmers' needs than the big tractors which smallholder farmers find difficult to access and maintain.

“We advise the state government to seek collaboration with relevant stakeholders like the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation for the production of farmers' friendly equipment. The state government should partner with relevant stakeholders such as the National Centre for Agricultural

Mechanization NCAM for the fabrication/production/purchase of Smallholder Farmers' friendly devices e.g. Mini tractor, weeders etc”.

Ayuba, who pointed out that over 70 per cent population of women are involved in agric processing, recommended continuous training for women farmers on modern farming techniques and best practices to increase productivity along the agriculture value chain.

According to him, “We also recommend that the government should outline various programmes targeted at youth empowerment/employment through agriculture and make realistic budgetary provisions.

“With access to farm demonstrations for smallholder women farmers at 5 per cent, farmers field school at 30 per cent, training at 50 per cent and information service at 15 per cent, there is an urgent need for the Kwara State Government to increase the allocation to extension services and ensure total cash releases and expenditure.

“Farmers with disabilities should be given consideration in agriculture budget planning, “ the statement further noted.

It stressed that “The state government should prioritise irrigation as a key component to improving agricultural output by increasing allocation to this budget line. Allocating same amount for 2023 and 2024 does not suggest that the government prioritises the development of irrigation. We advise the state government to ensure that a sustainable policy framework is put in place.

“There was significant improvement in the allocation to post harvest losses production supports. This is commendable. It is a major paradigm shift from the past policies on this budget line, which downgraded this all important budget line to improve agricultural output,” it concluded.