By Akanimo Sampson
Senate, the Red Chamber of Nigeria’s bicameral Legislature has passed for third reading, a Bill seeking to establish National Agricultural Development Fund.
This happened on Wednesday as the Senate said it will proceed on a three-week Easter break from this Thursday.
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, made this public at the end of plenary on Wednesday, pointing out that the break will commence Thursday and last till Tuesday, April 13, 2021.
The Easter break is not stopping senators from holding committee meetings within the 19 days of the break.
However, the report on the Bill, National Agricultural Development Fund (Establishment) Bill, 2021 was presented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
While Adamu pointed out that the purpose of the fund is to provide financial support for strategic aspects of agricultural development of Nigeria, he added that the Bill is seeking to promote and provide for finance to support agriculture development in the country in order to ensure food production and food security in Nigeria.
Noting that the major challenge of the agricultural sector in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa is inadequate funding, Adamu adds, “Nigeria is yet to fully implement the 2003 Maputo declaration on Agriculture requiring states, parties to allocate ten per cent of its national budget for agricultural development.
“If this was done, agriculture research and development, food production and food security would have witnessed a major leap.”
