WE feel left behind in the 2022 national budget as small-scale farmers because there is no specific allocation for the agriculture sector as it doesn’t clarify the avenues to support the farmers, the small scale Farmers Development Agency (SAFADA) has said.
SAFADA Executive Director, Boyd Moobwe said small-scale farmers feel left out because there is no specific budget allocation. Mr. Moobwe said in an interview that although the government has announced strategic plans and measures in the sector, they are not reflected in the budget. He said farmers have always lagged behind because of poor allocation of funds and would continue to suffer and face further challenges and bottlenecks if the matter is not addressed. Mr. Moobwe noted that although some measures have been put in place to empower small-scale farmers indirectly, the source of funding is not clear.
“We are very disappointed because the national budget has allocated insufficient funds for agriculture development. If Government wants to see agriculture transformation, it must improve funding,” he said. And Mr Moobwe has urged the government to consult further on the newly designed Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme to avoid challenges that the previous regime faced under FISP.
He said the new agriculture programme needs further consultations to prevent the problems that farmers faced under FISP from resurfacing. “The comprehensive agriculture support program should not fall prey to previous challenges which we anticipate to see reoccurring because of how it is planned. Government was expected to allocate funding for this new programme to ensure it starts by January,” Mr Moobwe said.
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