Budget: New agric projects to gulp N21.9bn

New projects at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) headquarters, its parastatals, agencies and colleges are expected to gulp N21.9 billion out of the total allocation of N98.125 billion assigned to the ministry. This amount is, however, not inclusive of projects already ongoing at the headquarters and her respective agencies and parastatals. […]

New projects at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) headquarters, its parastatals, agencies and colleges are expected to gulp N21.9 billion out of the total allocation of N98.125 billion assigned to the ministry.

This amount is, however, not inclusive of projects already ongoing at the headquarters and her respective agencies and parastatals. A total of N90.6bn is to be spent on capital expenditure for 2018. A breakdown of the budget indicates that the FMARD headquarters has earmarked N6.5bn for new projects in the incoming year.

The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) headquarters is expecting as high as N1.4bn on new projects, which is followed closely by the Nigeria Stored Products Research, Ilorin, with N1.35bn and the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, which would spend an estimated N1.133bn on new projects.

Also grossing high on new projects for 2018 are: National Agricultural Seeds Council with N976.4 million, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service, with N901.1m, Nigeria Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research, with N710.7m and the Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu, with N704.5 million.

Similarly, the Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin-Kowa, Gombe, is to spend N560m, Federal College of Agriculture, Moore Plantation, Ibadan, with N557.6m, Lake Chad Research Institute, Maiduguri, with N545.7, and N519m to be spent by the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Ibadan, on new projects.

Others to spend slightly less than N500m on new projects are the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, with N426.75m, Federal Co-operative College, Kaduna, with N41 9m and the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation, Ilorin, with N418.75 million.

Meanwhile,  the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom and College of Veterinary and Medical Laboratory Technology, Vom, National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Cocoa Research Institute, Ibadan and the National Institute of Freshwater Fish, New Bussa, all have no new project for the incoming fiscal year.

Also, the National Agricultural Extension Research Liaison Services, Zaria and the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science have no new projects for 2018. 

Further breakdown of the 2018 budget proposal reveals that top new projects at the FMARD headquarters include training and empowerment in agricultural produce for value addition, estimated to gulp N2.6bn, while promotion, development of fisheries and aquaculture value chain is expected to gulp N1.05bn.

Other top new projects are promotion and development of sesame/acha value chain, which is to get N1.08bn, with N927.5m to be spent on promotion and development of cassava value chain. 

From the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), the topmost new projects include land development and bush clearing at the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) headquarters, which is to get N670,000,000, and construction of office building to gulp N200m.

The Nigeria Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Ilorin has budgeted to spend N500m on training of youths and women empowerment on agricultural produce for reliance in export in some local government areas of Bauchi State. 

Perimeter fencing at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, is expected to gulp N310.5m, while the Lake Chad Research Institute, Maiduguri, is to spend N284m on the development of high yielding heat-tolerant, good quality varieties of wheat, barley and millet, as well as development capacity development of scientists, farmers and extension agents in wheat and millet production, processing and storage.

Similarly, N251.5m is to be spent on coordination, monitoring and evaluation of research, training and extension activities at the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, while the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, is to spend N250m on the purchase of farm machinery and equipment. 

Also, the NSPRI is to spend N250m each on agricultural training and provision of tools to the youth and women in ward E, E1, G, G1 and G2 in Surulere 1, federal constituency and agricultural training and provision of tools to the youth and women in ward F1, F2, F3 and G3 in Surulere 1, federal constituency, Lagos. 

Another N200.2m is to be spent on construction and equipping of library (with e-facilities) at the Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin-Kowa, Gombe, while de-flooding, filling and construction on drainage at the main campus of the Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology, Lagos is to gulp N185m. 

Other new projects are the establishment of an outstation in Otukpa by the National Horticultural Research Institute, which is expected to gulp N142.65m, establishment of feed mill at an estimated N140.5m, fencing of university landmass with N133.8m, and the construction of hatchery building and equipment at N120.9m  by the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi. 

The National Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) has no breakdown of its budget for 2018 fiscal year.    

 Further analysis of the 2018 budget proposal reveals that the ministry is to spend N26.7m on books, newspapers, magazines and periodicals. 

The FMARD headquarters has earmarked a sum of N1.9m for newspapers, with N468,808m to be spent on magazines and periodicals. The Nigerian Institute of Soil Science (NISS) headquarters budgeted N2m each for purchasing newspapers, magazines and periodicals, while the National Agricultural Extension Research Liaison Services, Zaria plans to spend N861,302m on newspaper purchase alone and N1.63 million on books. 

Similarly, the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, has budgeted N3.4m for purchasing books and N1.4m for magazines/periodicals alone for 2018. 

Also high on the list is the National Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Benin, which is to spend N1m on newspapers in 2018.