Kwara state government has been urged to shift reliance on rain-fed agriculture to irrigation farming to ensure food security and reduce high cost of food items in the state.
A communique issued in Ilorin, at the end of a one-day consultative meeting on 2023 state agriculture budget involving the Centre for Community Empowerment and Poverty Eradication (CCEPE) and the Budget Committee Group in collaboration with the state Ministry of Agriculture, says that the need arose because agriculture and climate change are interwoven.
The Communique advises the state government to make provision for organic fertilizers and other climate-friendly inputs to improve agric practice and farmers’ productivity.
The Communique also advocates for the need to increase budgetary allocation of the agriculture sector from 3.59% to 10% in line with Maputo and Malabo declaration.
The Communique urges the State government to focus on performance of agriculture budget allocation rather than figure allocation.
The Communique also advises farmers to explore social investment programme of the federal government to enable them secure credit facilities.
ALI MUHAMMAD RABIU