Several Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), including the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), the Community of Agriculture Non-State Actors (COANSA), and ActionAid Nigeria, have raised alarms over the sharp decline in the proposed allocation for the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in the 2025 national budget.
According to them, the allocation to the Ministry has dropped by 36.19%, from N996.901 billion in the 2024 budget to N636.08 billion in the 2025 proposal.
This decline, they said, has triggered concerns over the government’s commitment to ensuring food security and addressing the critical issues within Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
The President of SWOFON, Fatimah Gumi expressed deep concern over the government’s continued underfunding of agriculture despite years of advocacy.
She pointed out that the allocation to the agriculture sector remains far below the 10% target set by the Malabo Declaration, which was aimed at boosting agriculture across the continent.
The budget share allocated to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has also dropped dramatically, from 2.84% of the total federal budget in 2024 to just 1.28% in 2025.
When including the Federal Ministry of Livestock, the total agriculture budget for 2025 rises to N647.88 billion, which accounts for only 1.3% of the entire federal budget.
Gumi stressed that this significant reduction in funding signals insufficient prioritization of agriculture, a critical sector for the nation’s economy and food security.
Additionally, the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) in the proposed budget stands at N132.325 billion, with 99.61% allocated for capital expenditure, while overhead costs and personnel costs take up a minuscule share.
The Chairperson of COANSA, Rosemary Effiong echoed Gumi’s concerns and called for increased funding to the sector.
Effiong emphasized that the 1.28% of the total federal budget allocated to agriculture is far below the recommended 10% under the Maputo Declaration.
She further highlighted the need for better alignment of the ministry’s budget with the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP), which could help Nigeria achieve food and nutrition security and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2.
Effiong also pointed out that current government initiatives are not sufficiently aligned with the objectives of the NATIP, with only 34% of the 2025 agriculture sector projects reflecting this alignment.
She urged for the implementation of better planning strategies to ensure a strong connection between policy and budgeting in the agricultural sector.
The CSOs reiterated their call for urgent and effective reforms in the budget allocation to agriculture to ensure the sector’s sustainability, improve food security, and stimulate the livelihoods of small-scale farmers across the nation.
