Ex Abia State Commissioner Urges Bigger 2026 Agriculture Budget

News in Brief

-Abia State's former commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Dr Philips Nto, has urged all levels of government in Nigeria to make agriculture a top priority in their 2026 budgets.

-Nto, who is the Director of Agribusiness Incubation Centre, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, made the call while addressing journalists at the pilot farms of the Agribusiness Incubation Centre in Umudike.

University don and agribusiness expert, Dr Philips Nto, has argued that only robust funding for agriculture will drive increased yields, meaningful value addition, and ensure prosperity for farmers nationwide.

He pointed to the sharp drop in federal budget allocation to agriculture in recent years, urging authorities to reverse this trend as the nation’s earnings increase. “Now that Nigeria’s revenue is on the increase, more funds should be invested in agriculture and agribusiness to secure our tomorrow”, he said.

Nto, who previously led Abia State’s finance ministry, stressed that future agricultural budgets should focus on supporting real farmers through targeted subsidies and revitalising extension services to curb post-harvest losses.

Highlighting the role of local solutions, he advocated for setting up industrial agro-hubs in all 774 local government areas, designed around local crops, to enhance food security and economic growth.

Dr Nto suggested that these initiatives must be co-funded by all tiers of government, leveraging expected tax revenues and the newly signed tax reforms, which exempt key agricultural activities from value-added tax.

He commended the federal government’s tax reform efforts, noting the positive ripple effect they could have in expanding agriculture funding and spurring the establishment of agro-industrial hubs nationwide.