***Urge Govt to Increase investment in agriculture, Prompt Release of Funds
The need for government at all levels to invest more in Agriculture has again been stressed.
Speakers at an event organised by Justice Development and Peace Centre ( JDPC ) and ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) in collaboration with the Budget Committee Group of Ondo, SWOFON, BCG and Ondo state ministry of Agriculture for cross fertilisation of ideas with a view to enhancing food security and societal stability.
The forum tagged ” Stakeholders consultative meeting on 2025 Ondo State Agriculture Budget”
attracted no fewer than 18 Civil Society Organisations across Ondo State.
In a bare – all atmosphere , participants shared experiences , workable modalities as well as connected with one another towards achieving the ultimate aim of Scaling Up Public Investments in Agriculture (SUPIA).
The stakeholders which included, representative of federal ministry of Agriculture, commissioner for Agriculture, ministry of finance, Swofon, ministry of economic planning and Budget, SMEDAN among others.
Chairman, budget committee, Mr Pius Akomolafe, called on government to go the extra mile by making adequate funds available for optimal results
According to him ‘real farmers should not only be identified but equally motivated to excel while ensuring that whatever funds meant for agriculture do not get into wrong hands.”
Permanent secretary,
Ondo state ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Foluke-Tunde Daramola, tasked the organised private sector, development partners and other relevant bodies to complement the roles of government in making agriculture more attractive to the teeming population
Coordinator, SWOFON, Ondo state, Mrs Bukola Oyediji, decried low publicity on the NG-CARES FADAMA who are majorly domiciled in the rural communities.
Mrs Oyediji urged the state ministry of Agriculture an fadama to work in synergy with the small scale women farmers organization in Nigeria(SWOFON) to be able to reach smallholders women farmers in rural communities across the state.
There were goodwill messages from Special adviser to Ondo state governor on Gender, Mrs Olamide Falana, who was represented by Mrs Adeleye Abimbola, Babafemi Ogunlola, Director budget monitoring and Appraisal, Friday Olajube, Rural access and Agricultural marketing, Ogunleye Adegboyega, programme manager, ADP.Among others.
Earlier programme officer, JDPC, Mr Tobi Olayemi, said submission at the gathering would serve as timely reminders to government and other key players in agriculture to get more women and other neglected groups involved in policy formulation and implementation with a view to boosting food production for economic turnaround
The forum recommended that as a matter of urgency deliberate efforts should be made by Ondo State government to increase investment in agriculture, fast track prompt release of funds in line with seasonal exigencies, increase the monitoring of intervention programmes in collaboration with CSOs to engender accountability.
The gathering also made a strong case for timely release of counterpart fund for Rural Access Mobility and Marketing Project ( RAMMP) saying doing so will help all supporting agencies to play their roles in attaining food security.
