Bauchi State Government has registered its commitment to boost farming by supporting Agro based Civil Society Organisations and active Small scale Women Groups to create more employment opportunities for them and youths in the state.
Aminu Gamawa, Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, stated this when he received the Public Finance on Agriculture, PFA, Budget Committee in his office on Monday.
Mr. Gamawa said the Governor Bala led administration appreciates calls for increased budgetary allocation to the agricultural sector to achieve food sufficiency with keen emphasis on a realistic budget that would bring expected revolutionary changes to the sector.
Mr. Gamawa said “my ministry is working closely with the ministries of agriculture, women affairs and youth and sports to ensure needs of women small holder farmers were captured in the proposed 2021 budget.”
The Commissioner requested the PFA Budget Committee to present their needs to relevant MDAs assuring that the Ministry of Budget and planning would accord priority to their case while preparing the 2021 budget estimates.
The Commissioner called for massive awareness campaign on agro businesses for farmers to understand the passion the present government has for agric.
“Agriculture should be seen as a business with less risk, less investment but high yield,” he said.
Earlier, Hajia Amina Bala Jibrin, Spokesperson PFA Committee regretted that since the administration of Late President, Umaru Musa Yar’adua, funds budgeted for agriculture went down from 12% to less than 3%.
She said for Bauchi State to solve food insecurity, Governor Bala Mohammed must prioritise Agriculture alongside health and education which attracted much funding in the past few years.
Hajia Amina Bala Mohammed implored the State government to embark on bulk purchase of ox-plough that are easy to manage by women farmers as well as rice millers and other processing machinery for crops like groundnuts, soya beans and the likes.
