BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
Agriculture Field Officer of Western Province, Sipuru Rove, has called on the national government to allow provincial governments to administer agriculture development funds allocated to the province.
Rove explained that such arrangements can be legally facilitated through an Agency Agreement – a provision under the Provincial Government Act between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Western Provincial Government.
“So, here is how Agency Agreement works. As per the agreement, any funds for agriculture development allocated for Western Province must be deposited into the province’s account and administered by the province.
“Upon approval, funds will be released in tranches, with progress and financial reports submitted regularly for accountability and acquittal purposes.
“Note that such funds are tagged with workplans and detailed activities endorsed by the ministry. Our job is to get funds that are available at the provincial level and carry out our duties,” he explained.
Rove stressed that decentralizing the administration of agriculture funds to provincial governments will address persistent delays in funding disbursement and allow more efficient and locally responsive implementation of agricultural activities.
He said provincial governments are the only institutions that live closer to farmers and also understand farmers’ needs.
Rove suggested that this arrangement should be piloted in the upcoming Cocoa and Coconut Development Programme, which all provinces are expected to benefit from this year.
He said Western Province’s Agriculture Division has already submitted a budget proposal of $2.6 million based on its annual workplan.
Rove said his division was disappointed when similar budget and workplan were submitted to the national government in the previous years with no response.
“We are very hopeful that this year, the government will give us the fund,” he said.
Rove strongly believes that Western Provincial Government is capable of managing the funds, stating that the province already has the financial systems and oversight structures in place to ensure transparency and effective delivery.
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