The National Assembly has commended the federal government for the improved release of funds for capital and overhead expenditure of research and training establishments in the agricultural sector.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Abdullahi Yahaya (APC-Kebbi ), said this in an interview in Abuja on Saturday.

“The performance of the budget has been very impressive in most aspects; disbursement has reached over 70 per cent in most areas, and about 100 per cent has been disbursed for capital projects.

“This is different from what has been happening in the past when budget implementation was hovering around 50 to 60 per cent, but from 2019 to date, in spite of the economic challenges that the government has been facing.”

He said the government had financed about 70 per cent of capital projects despite the economic challenges.

“I will also use the opportunity to really extend our own appreciation to the fiscal authorities for the credibility and dexterity they have shown in funding institutions from 2019 to date,” he said.

The former senate leader said that although the revenue accruing to the federal government was getting lower, the releases to the institutions have been very impressive.

He said the committee, after the conclusion of the 2023 appropriation, would inspect some of the physical achievements that the institutions have made.

On the internal revenue generated by the organisations, Mr Yahaya said there were many issues that pertained to revenue generation, adding that some of the issues were legal.

He advised the agencies to develop their capacities to be at par with the private sector to invest in development activities.

“So unless there is a new thinking to allow some of these institutions, particularly the research institutes, to also engage in investing in development activities, apart from that, some of their revenue drive will be very abysmal,” he said.

He also advised the research institutions to develop technologies and partner with the private sector to turn their innovations into production.

In the week, the committee engaged agricultural institutions’ research and training on implementing their 2019, 2020 and 2021 budgets.

(NAN)