Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) AbdulAzeez Muhammad-Lawal has urged governments at all levels to appropriate more funds to the agriculture sector to mitigate post-COVID-19 food shortage.
Muhammad-Lawal, who gave the advice during a radio programme, said that it would help diversify the economy and reduce the effect of the crash in the price of oil – the major income earner for the country.
“As the price of crude oil is below the budgeted $57 per barrel due to the Coronavirus pandemic, which has negatively affected the monthly federal allocation in the country, governments at all levels should as a matter of urgency, appropriate more funds to agriculture to cushion the negative effect of the Coronavirus pandemic,” he said.
As Muhammad-Lawal called for improved funding to all aspects of agriculture such as crop farming, fishery, and animal husbandry, among others, he underscored the need for proper monitoring of the funds to avoid misappropriation.
He said the government must optimally utilise all the agricultural value-chains from production, processing and marketing to reduce youth unemployment, thereby increase the country’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
Leave a Reply