The Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation of Nigeria (SWOFON) has urged the Federal Government to implement the Maputo Declaration by setting aside 10 per cent of the country’s budget for the agricultural sector.
The president of SWOFON, Mrs Mary Afan, made the appeal in an interview in Abuja, on Thursday
According to her, the “Maputo Declaration’ states that African nations should commit at least 10 per cent of their national budgets to agriculture and rural development policies.
The declaration came after the Second Ordinary Assembly of the African Union (AU) in July 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique.
The declaration was a formal commitment by AU Heads of States and Governments, to provide effective leadership for efforts to achieve some specific goals by the year 2025.
The goals include ending hunger on the continent and tripling intra-African trade in agricultural goods among others.
Afan said that since after the launch, Nigeria had yet to make progress in achieving the goals, and the Federal Government to make agricultural sector more attractive.
She added that the level of funding for the agriculture sector was still very low compared to the recommended 10 per cent of national budgetary allocation stipulated by the Maputo Declaration.
“With the support on the Voices of Maputo Declaration, we have been able to engage the government to ask if it is aware of the commitment of the Federal Government through the agreement of Africa Heads of States.
“The leaders met in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, where they all agreed that 10 per cent of the total budget of every country should go to the agriculture sector to attain at least six per cent annual growth in the country’s economy.
“This will, however, reduce the country’s hunger now that the oil prices in the international market have fallen, so as to increase income for the rural communities who are predominantly farmers.
“We want to engage the government on this to ensure that the agriculture sector receives the desired attention based on its strategic position in economic development and poverty eradication,’’ she said.
Afan solicited for the protection of women farmers, noting that insecurity had been their major challenge in the efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in food production.
She, however, said that the Land Act should be reviewed to give women the right to own land because women consisted almost 60 per cent of the farming population.
She appealed to the government to extend intervention programmes to women farmers, especially with inputs such as seed and fertilizers to increase productivity.
She added that inadequate storage facilities had been one of their major challenges, adding that with good storage they would avoid post-harvest losses. (NAN)
