• Deliberate agriculture intervention best option for Nigeria –ALGON chair
From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
Commissioner, Planning and Budget Commission (PBC), Muhktar Monrovia, has said Kaduna State Government has planned to spend N1 billion out of the N22 billion budgetary provision for the agricultural sector to boost food production in 2024.
Monrovia, who stated this while chairing the 18th and first Economic Planning Board meeting for 2024 in Kaduna, added that the fertiliser subsidy became necessary as a deliberate effort to develop the rural economy of the state.
The statutory board meeting was captured in the PBC Law as Economic Planning Board comprises of all local government chairmen and some head of agencies of government, such as the Kaduna Agricultural Development Agency, Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, Primary Health Care Development Board, and Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board.
The commissioner said: “We intend to raise money to finance this year’s community development-oriented budget. We have already set a target of ambitious N120 billion internally generated revenue and we cannot raise such money without the collaboration and contribution of the local government chairmen.
“Again, it is important to note that in the 2024 budget, we have voted N22 billion for agriculture to drive agricultural activities in the state. This is the biggest ever in the last seven years.
“Part of this amount is N1 billion fertiliser subsidy because the governor has seen the need to invest in farms in rural areas. So, the modality on the utilisation of the N1 billion is going to be handled by the commissioner of agriculture and executive secretary of KADA to see the best way the real farmers can get this subsidy.
“For example, if the cost of the fertiliser is going to cost N30,000 per bag (50kg), the government may decide to subsidise it by 50 or 40 per cent depending on the modifications we are going to adopt.
“In all these, the citizens’ participation is key. So, I want to encourage all of us in the state to support and collaborate with the government. We know the economic situation is frightening and the only way is to let us be patient and allow the government to continue its programmes.
“For the first time in a long time, we are having a governor whose interest is in the rural area. Let’s continue to be patient and collaborate with the government while our farmers are up and doing to ensure we have food security in the state.”
On his part, the Chairman of Kudan Local Government, who doubles as Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Kaduna State chapter, Shuaibu Jaja, noted that the need for cooperation and collaboration between the state and local government for even development cannot be overemphasised.
“The current government under the leadership of able Governor Uba Sani is committed to developing rural areas due to the role of the local economy in the overall development of the state and Nigeria as a whole.
“Part of the support local government administration is providing is to follow his directive that 60 per cent of our balance should be spent on capital projects which will accelerate development in terms of provision of rural infrastructure, electricity, motorise boreholes, drainages, box culverts, solar lights among others.
“The economic development in agriculture is important because agriculture is the biggest employer of labour. For example, 75 per cent of the teeming population of Kaduna State are in the rural area where agriculture thrives well.
“So, the only option for the state and the country, for now, is to give topnotch priority to the agricultural value chain and that is where our contribution comes in handy because we are closer to the grassroots,” he said.