Kogi Urged to Invest Heavily in Agric Sector

Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

The Kogi State Government has been urged to invest heavily in the agriculture sector  as part of efforts to boost food security and promote agricultural business concerns

This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the Stakeholders Consultative meeting on the Kogi State 2025 Agriculture Budget organised by the Small Scale women Farmers Association in Nigeria (SWOFAN) in collaboration with the state government and ActionAid Nigeria in Lokoja yesterday.

The stakeholders commended the increase of allocations to women and youths in agriculture in the 2024 budget cycle.

The communique stated that there is the need to review existing policies and framework on agriculture and initiate a comprehensive policy framework that incorporates the change agenda

It said: “It was agreed that there should be an increase in funding in agriculture  sector to meet the 10 percent Maputo declaration.

“We recommend that allocation to the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS) should be given a sustainable attention and specific sum should be given out as credit, a part should be used to create a yearly Strengthening Access to Credit budget line.

“Records shows that Smallholder women farmers currently have access to less than 23 percent formal credit, therefore, Kogi State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security should create a yearly Strengthening Access to Credit budget line.

“This funding should focus on getting consultants or consultancy firms to support women, youths and farmers living with disability cooperatives to be able to navigate the too cumbersome access to credit in Nigeria.”

Earlier, the ActionAid Coordinator in Kogi State, Blessing Akhile, explained that it is very important for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to increase budgetary allocation to ensure food production and poverty alleviation in Kogi State.

Akhile pointed out that ActionAid Nigeria is passionately interested in how the stakeholders will be able pursue the budgetary allocation to help achieve their objectives.