Food crisis: Actionaid calls for emergency funds for agricultural sector

with current realities, hence O avert the looming food the need for extra budgetary crisis in the countr y, provision to avert the loomActionaid Nigeria has called ing food crisis. on the Federal Governm ent The Program Coordinator to create a separate agriculFood and Agriculture Action ture emergency fund outsid e Aid Nigeria Azubuike the 2023 budget for the secNwokoye, while reading the tor. text of a press briefing organ

The call is comi ng amidst ized by the organization in the ripple effect of flooding, collaboration with SmallRussia - Ukraine war, COVID- 19 scale Women Farmers pandemic, rising prices of Organization in Nigeria farm inputs, post- harvest ( SWOFON) decried the low losses among other chalbudgetary allocation of N228 lenges bedeviling the billion, representing 1.11 pernation's food production seccent to the agricultural sector tor and palpable fears of food out of the N20.5trillion crises in the country by 2023. national budget.

According to the organizaHe noted that although tion, less than two percent N228.4 billion was budgeted budgetary allocation to the for the sector, due to the cur

sector for 2023 is not in tune rent inflation rate, the value

Tof the purchasing power of the 2023 budget to the sector is about N189.2billion, saying to achieve the investment impact in monetary terms, the gap of N39 billion must be filled either by providing additional budgetary resources or reducing inflation to the barest minimum.

Nwokoye however pointed out that the budget amount is too low to achieve the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy ( NATIP) adding that the budget is not clear about support to smallholder farmers. He also pointed out the low funding for climate change mitigation and adaptation despite the increasing spate of natural disasters caused by climate change.

To mitigate the current flood situation, he urged the government to quickly mop- up agriculture produce excesses across Nigeria in areas that did not experience the floods through Guaranteed Minimum Price ( GMP) for storage and reduction of post- harvest losses and distribution to affected areas.

He also stressed the need for the federal and state governments to complete and construct new dams, de- silt existing dams to function at full capacity, dredge the rivers and put ecological funds to adequate and articulate use for irrigation for all yearround farming to achieve food and nutrition security.