Agriculture; The Saviour of Poverty in Nigeria

Experts have said that the portrayal of agriculture as a profession for the poor is a major reason why poverty is prevalent in Nigeria. According to them, there should be a paradigm shift as the success of any poverty alleviation programme is hinged on the ability of farmers to get commensurate returns for their effort.

Despite the potential of agriculture as a means of unlocking the wealth of the land for the benefit of the people, government has failed to give the sector adequate financial support to sustain it. The agricultural sector has encountered a lot of problem over the last few years, but we still cannot deny the fact that the agricultural sector would continue to remain the mainstream of the nation's economy in view of its sustainability.

The Nigerian economy relied on agriculture up until the 1970s, when the oil boom created a diversion. He wondered why the government has refused to give agriculture the attention it deserves, given its role in the economy.

The funding system from the budgeting allocations until recently was only five percent of the national budget. There is no way a sector, which employs 70 percent of Nigeria's workforce, a sector which is responsible for 40 percent of the gross domestic product, and a sector in which two-third of its people live in rural areas, can be allocated only five percent of the budget.

Government policies are not consistent because they set up policies to favour one part of the sector, like the issues between the maize and poultry farmer. If farmers meet in advance and decide what their problems are, they would now collectively go to government. Government can make a long term policy for five or six years to solve the farmers' issues.

I am optimistic that the sector would begin to grow again, as government has increased the sector budget allocation. It would appear that government is now allocating more money to the sector because in the last two years, the agriculture sector has been getting about 10 percent of the national budget. I expect a minimum of 15-20 percent of the budget in the future,