Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS), is requesting for 10% of the national budget for 2020.
Representatives from the ministry made the call during the presentation of its strategic plan and budget for the 2020 Financial Year.
MAFFS is asking for Le 141.6 billion as its recurrent budget for 2020. It also appeals that 73% (Le 106.7 billion) of this money be disbursed by mid next year.
“Since agriculture is seasonal, we are pleading for 73% of the recurrent budget to be paid in quarter one and two,” Permanent Secretary at the Ministry, Fatmata Mustapha, said.
“The idea to get 73% of our budget in the first and second quarter will allow us to do a lot of things like completing land preparation and planting just before the mid of next year,” Deputy Minister, Sam- King Brima later told Politico.
The Government of Sierra Leone is known to be preparing the agriculture landscape for major investment which will eventually lead to increased productivity. Already it has signed a US$ 275 million deal with Turkish based business, SALA Group. The deal entails the production of 1.6 metric tons of rice in the country by 2023.
Last year, MAFFS received 6.6% of the national budget, 4.4% shy of the 10% minimum as per the Maputo protocol which Sierra Leone is a signatory to. This African Union instrument, through the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), requires member countries to set aside 10% minimum of their budget to invest in agriculture.
The Minister of Agriculture, Joseph Ndanema, who was present during the presentation of their budget on Friday, October 4, said they are constrained with the allocation they get.
“We are constrained because what we budget, we don’t get. In Agriculture, we must invest. If we don’t invest, we won’t succeed,” he said.
As part of their objectives for 2020, MAFFS announced three strategic projects they will undertake; correction of the acidity of the soil to increase productivity, increasing yields by providing quality seeds, and investing in livestock rearing.
With soil correction, MAFFS is hoping to support farmers with enough lime to increase the nutrition intake of plants from 20% to 100%.
The ministry says it also wants to increase yields for crops like cocoa and oil palm. In addition to these two, there are plans to invest and properly structure livestock rearing.
According to a report done in 2018 by Action Against Hunger, more than 30% of children in Sierra Leone are going through malnutrition, a situation which is partly caused by the lack of protein in their meals.
During the opening day of the National Budget Hearing, the Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa told Politico that the Ministry might have a significant increase in their budget this year.
Saffa said: “I am not very clear yet, we are still playing with the figures. But it is going to be substantial (raise). There will be an increase from last year’s allocation.”
Sierra Leone consumes 900 metric tons of rice annually, most of which is imported from China, Pakistan and India. The new drive by MAFFS is aimed at ensuring food self-sufficiency, something the country has not managed for decades.
© 2019 Politico Online
