Following the recent signing of the 2018 budget, the All Farmer Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has said it will supervise the discharge of the agricultural budget to ensure accountability.

Vice President of the association, Chief Daniel Okafor, disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja where he said the exercise would be done throughout the country.

Okafor who expressed delight at the budget signing said AFAN would supervise the implementation to avoid some failures of the past years.

” The budget has been signed but what we are talking about is the implementation. How is it going to be implemented? Without monitoring the budget, it will be like the budget of previous years where you give the farmers what they need at the wrong time.” He said

“We will monitor the implementation of budget of all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies that concerns agriculture.” Okafor added.

In the same vein, the National Technical Adviser of AFAN, Dr Tunde Arosanyin, advised on implementation of the agriculture facet of the budget.

“The budget of 2018 signed today is rather coming too late. Agriculture is tied to time and weather so the budget may not be fully released by that time, the rain will be winding down in the north and the middle belt which is the hub of agriculture production.” He said.

“Nevertheless, it is advisable to avoid leakage at implementation by meeting the farmers at farm gate with input, credit and market.’’ He added.