Varsity don tasks government on improved funds for agriculture
Phillips Nto, a university don and agricultural expert, has appealed to President Ahmed Tinubu and governments at all levels to prioritize funding for agriculture to enhance food security.
Nto noted that the call is apt now as preparations for the 2026 budgets get underway.
Nto, who is the director, Agribusiness Incubation Centre (ABIC), Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, said that only increased funding of agriculture in the 2026 budgets of all tiers of government would guarantee improved yields, value addition and prosperity for farmers.
While conducting the media around pilot farms of the incubation centre, Nto canvassed for an improved budgetary allocation for agriculture in view of the central role it plays in the development of Nigeria’s economy.
“Now that Nigeria’s revenue is on the increase, more funds should be invested in agriculture and agribusiness to secure our tomorrow,” he stressed.
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Nto, a former commissioner for Finance and Economic Development in Abia State, advocated that the increase in funding agriculture should anchor more on value addition to curb post-harvest losses.
According to him, the government should consider providing agricultural subsidies to farmers, while the states should revive the agricultural extension services.
“Agriculture is an evolving sector that requires continuous training of rural farmers. Reviving the agriculture extension services will help farmers adopt new techniques for improved yield.
“The Agribusiness Incubation Centres across our universities can easily drive this initiative,” he noted.
He equally canvassed for the setting up of industrial agricultural hubs in the 774 local government areas in the country to be designed in line with the crops grown in each area as a means of sustainable food security. He noted that such hubs could be jointly funded through an integrated scheme by all tiers of government with the expected increase in food production and value addition.
“This multi-level collaboration will provide government the first hand guide on the agribusiness that is relevant to the need of the local farmers,” he submitted.
Nto, who is also the immediate past provost, Abia State College of Education, Technical, Arochukwu, commended the federal government on its tax reforms, which he noted would also impact on the growth of agriculture in the country.
He expressed the hope that whatever the government generates from the new tax laws should be used in funding agriculture, especially in the establishment of the agro industrial hubs in the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.
