Maravi

JCTR bemoans reduced budgetary allocation to agriculture

JCTR bemoans reduced budgetary allocation to agriculture
By Fridah Zinyama
Tue 19 Oct. 2010, 14:50 CAT

THE Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has said the reduction in budgetary allocation to the agriculture sector from 6.8 per cent to six per cent in the 2011 budget has serious implications on the livelihoods of the people, especially the poor.

And the JCTR Basic Needs Basket (BNB) has revealed an increase of K18,500 in the cost of food in Lusaka for the month of September to K867,850 from K849, 350.

The BNB is a tool for measuring the cost of living for an average family of six in various towns across Zambia In a press statement, JCTR Social Conditions Programme coordinator Miniva Chibuye stated that agriculture was another key sector in Zambia’s economy as over 80 per cent of Zambia’s labour force is dependent on agriculture production.

She said the reduction in budgetary support towards agriculture would therefore affect the sector negatively. “Furthermore, the Budget has consistently reduced funding towards promoting sustainable agriculture systems such as conservation farming.

In the wake of climate change era, the success of the agriculture sector is not only dependent on increased productivity but also on ensuring sustainable ways of practising agriculture. Therefore, the government must prioritise sustainable agriculture practices and allocate more funding to support extension services,” she added. And Chibuye stated that she was encouraged that next year’s budget had aligned itself to the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP), which placed strategic focus on infrastructure and human development.

“However, the Budget shows a mixed picture,” she noted. “While the proportion of the health and social protection sectors increased, the education and agriculture sectors saw reduced budgetary allocations as a percentage of the entire Budget. In comparison to the 2010 Budget, the 2011 allocations towards the Ministry of Health increased marginally from 8.3 per cent to 8.6 per cent of the total Budget.”

Chibuye stated that this was far below the recommended 15 per cent in the Abuja declaration to which Zambia was a signatory. “An analysis of the detailed expenditure plan in the Yellow Book shows that the entire Anti Retroviral Treatment programme has suffered a Budget cut,” she stated. “Other notable lines with reduced allocations include general health service delivery such as purchase of medicine, surgery and paediatrics.”

According to Chibuye, these reductions would compromise access to quality health care and may increase the mortality rate in the country. And Chibuye stated that the BNB saw increases in the cost of kapenta, meat, tomato, onion, cooking oil and bread, which contributed to the upward in the cost of living for the month of September to K2, 850,680 from K2, 828,780 in August 2010.

“In this regard, the government needs to deal with the wider challenge of the employment sector, which is marred by very low wages as well as low levels of formal employment,” stated Chibuye.

Labels: 2011 BUDGET, AGRICULTURE, JCTR

posted by MrK @ 3:43 PM