The Smallholder Women Farmers Organisation of Nigeria (SWOFON) and the Budget Committee Group (BCG), Kogi State chapter, have decried the persistent failure of the Kogi State Government to release allocated funds for the agricultural sector—particularly those meant to support smallholder women farmers.
The organisations made their concerns known during a stakeholder engagement in Lokoja focused on the 2025 Agriculture Budget Analysis, Observations, and Recommendations, organised jointly by SWOFON and BCG.
While acknowledging a slight increase in the agricultural budget from 3.3% in 2024, they expressed dismay that the allocation has further dropped to 2.79% in the 2025 budget, which they described as a step backwards. According to them, this figure falls significantly short of the 10% benchmark set by the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security, adopted by African Heads of State in 2003.
Despite agriculture’s critical role in food security and poverty alleviation, the groups noted that actual budget performance—especially for smallholder farmers—has been extremely poor. They observed that while allocations exist on paper, funds are rarely released, particularly for programmes that directly benefit grassroots farmers.
They cited an alarming example:
“The 2024 budget line for the procurement of tractors and harvesters under the CARES programme achieved 98% performance, while critical components like input support and equipment under the FSTP—meant for smallholder women farmers—recorded zero performance.”
The groups also raised concerns about long-standing gaps in:
- Access to agricultural credit and finance,
- Provision of quality farm inputs,
- Agricultural mechanisation and extension services,
- Climate-resilient agriculture and R&D,
- Post-harvest loss reduction,
- Irrigation schemes and Fadama agriculture, and
- Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
Rukayat Ahmed of SWOFON and Mathias Okpanachi of BCG stressed that the government’s neglect of smallholder farmers is contributing to rising food insecurity and escalating food prices across the state. They also revealed that three tractors allocated to their group in the 2025 budget have not been delivered, even four months into the fiscal year.
The groups called on Governor Usman Ododo and his administration to urgently prioritise agriculture by:
- Developing inclusive agricultural policies,
- Strengthening commercial agriculture credit schemes,
- Investing in women- and youth-led farming,
- Enhancing post-harvest loss solutions, and
- Ensuring equitable distribution of resources and timely cash-back of allocated funds.
They concluded with a firm appeal to the state government to align with the Maputo Declaration and treat smallholder farmers—especially women—as key partners in building a food-secure and resilient Kogi State.
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