The Students Unification Party (SUP) has alarmed over contradictions in President Joseph Boakai’s Rescue Budget as the Agriculture Sector receives little budgetary support.
SUP, in a press release, said agriculture remains a tool of essentialism that leads to the eradication of poverty, and food insecurity, the provision of employment opportunities and the promotion of rapid development.
SUP believes the basic assertions on the essentialism of Agriculture should be profoundly supported by the African Union (AU), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO), the United Nations (UN), the World Bank and other international organizations.
SUP said former President George M. Weah’s failure to uphold the basic promises on agriculture he made to Liberians in 2017, led to his democratic removal by electorates.
The party said it is also looking up to the Unity Party government of President Joseph N. Boakai which also presented itself as the alternative, presenting an agenda known as the “ARREST” which focuses on “Agriculture, Road, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation and Tourism, thereby committing itself to resolve the economic miasma that has confronted our people for several years, under the slogan of “RESCUE.”
“In its ARREST Agenda”, the Unity Party Government of President Boakai recognizes agriculture as a cardinal pillar for the reduction of poverty and food insecurity, further citing agriculture as the foundation of Liberia’s economy in time past,” Augustine F. Taylor, Jr. Chairman: Bureau of Information, Propaganda, Research, and Guidance of the 31st Politburo and Central Committee of the Student Unification Party-SUP.
SUP reminded Liberians that some of the promises the Unity Party made under its agriculture pillar in tackling poverty and developing Liberia include the Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization to Improve Farmers’ Access to using Technologies in Production that make them grow more food and establish three machinery hubs in the food basket counties (Bong, Lofa, and Nimba).
According to the student-based movement, Unity Party Government of President Boakai didn’t give a comprehensive explanation of how they intend to achieve these things.
SUP said in habitual disregard for the Public Financial Management Act (PMF), precisely Part III, Section 11, which calls for the National Budget to be submitted two months before the commencement of the fiscal year, the CDC Government of former president Weah submitted the draft budget for 2024 to the tune of 625.5 Million.
However, the party maintained, that based on the delay, coupled with other issues, the 54th Legislature in its address to usher in the 55th Legislature, there were no deliberations of the budget.
SUP further recollected that on Thursday, January 25, 2024, days after members of the 55th Legislature were sworn into office, unanimous votes were taken on the budget submitted by former President Weah to be sent to President Boakai for fiscal realignment.
SUP said the decision was accordingly taken after a communication was submitted to members of the Legislature by Representative Ellen Attoh Wreh, of electoral District Three, Margibi County.
“Now, former president George Weah who didn’t prioritize the agriculture Sector approved US $5,252,067 as the budgetary allotments for the sector in the 2023 national budget constituting less than 0.8 percent of the total budget of $782 Million, but a sum of US $4,592,184 was received in the fiscal outturn and after days of realignment of the budget aimed at integrating President Bokai’s agenda, the minister of finance, Mr. Boimah Kamara on March 14, 2024, submitted the draft budget to the national legislature in the amount of US $692,408,827 to the national Legislature,” SUP said.
SUP noted that despite agriculture being the first pillar and an area of priority of the ARREST Agenda, a minuscule amount of US $5,624,922, constituting 0.8 percent of the budget was submitted as allotments to the agricultural sector of the country.
The party said the amount is not only a blow in the nostrils of the agricultural sector, but a cognitive disregard of the 2003 MAPUTO and 2014 MALABO declarations of the African Union, wherein, African Countries committed their respective governments to allocating 10% of the total budget of their countries to Agriculture under the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP).
According to the party, President Boakai’s actions further undermine his commitment to upholding the rule of law, by honoring regional and international commitments.
They further maintained, “It’s of great significance to note that seven entities are considered under the agriculture sector of Liberia, but only five receive budgetary funding. They are the Liberia Agriculture Commodity and Regulatory Authority (LACRA), Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), Liberia Produce Marketing Cooperation (LPMC), Liberia Rubber Development Authority (LARDA), Central Agriculture Research Institute (CARI) and Liberia Rubber Development Fund Incorporated.”
SUP further said although the Legislature was able to appreciate the amount of the agriculture sector from US $5,624,923 to US $9 million, SUP asserted that the total appropriation still falls below 1.5 percent of the total of US $748,859,827 approved by both the Senate and House of Representatives.
The student-based political party argues the agricultural sector remains the pathway to combating food insecurity, creating employment opportunities and development, therefore, increasing the sector allocations to at least six or seven percent in the next budget year could be a great start to combating the enormous challenges that have kept our people in shackles for years.
