Constraints on Budgetary Process and efforts of Ebonyi State Government at Agricultural Development

The idea of agricultural development evolved over the years as man sort to sustain life and expand farm production for sustenance and better economic earning. Therefore, agricultural development is central and strategic to economic and national development of Nigeria. Despite the strategic contribution of agriculture to Nigerian economy and national development, agriculture has remained with daunting challenges of poor government and budgetary attention. The general objective of this study is to investigate and analyze the efforts and constraints of budgetary process on agricultural development in Ebonyi State. The paper was anchored on structural-functionalism theory, to understand the place of institutions of government in spurring agricultural development in Ebonyi State. Data for the study were collected from questionnaire, in-depth interview from a sample of 399, while secondary data were collected from documents of Ebonyi State government on budgetary allocations to agricultural sector. Findings revealed that Ebonyi State government had made conscious efforts at using budgetary process for agricultural development. However, poor fund allocations, fund releases, legislative oversights, and corruption are constraints on budgetary process in enhancing agricultural development in Ebonyi State. It was recommended, among other things, that Ebonyi State government should invest more in agricultural mechanization through adequate budget releases for agricultural development.


Introduction
The idea of agricultural development evolved over the years as man sort to sustain life and expand farm production for sustenance and better economic earning. Therefore, agricultural development is central Available online also at https://www.ajpasebsu.org.ng/ https://dx.doi.org/10. 4314/ajpas.v16i1.3 2016(Ebonyi State Budget, 2017. In 2017, agriculture was allocated N5,554,926,343 billion naira, or 4.366% of the total budget of N127.233 billion naira, with only 1.2% or N1,603,232,790 billion naira, released. In 2018, agriculture was allocated N6,153,472,000 billion, or 2.954% of the revised budget of N81,333,102,377.34k, only 2.31% was released (Ebonyi State Budget, 2020). This trend continued in 2019, 2020, and 2021 as agriculture received budgetary allocations of 2.83%, 2.11% and 1.62% respectively, of the total budgets (Ebonyi State Budget, 2020& 2021. Thus the need to investigate the constraints on budgetary process and efforts of Ebonyi state government at using budgetary process for agricultural development. The following questions were relevant to guide the study; what are the efforts of Ebonyi State government at using budgetary process for agricultural development? What are the constraints on budgetary process to agricultural development in Ebonyi State? Therefore, the study proposed that Ebonyi State government had made no conscious efforts at using budgetary process for agricultural development. Again, that poor fund allocations, fund releases, legislative oversights, and corruption were constraints on budgetary process to agricultural development.

Statement of the Problem
Ebonyi State budgets from 2011 to 2021 showed that budgets to the agricultural sector remained poor compared to Maputo declaration that 10% of annual budgets be set aside for agricultural production.

Conceptualization Budget
Budget is an essential tool of legislative control for accountability over the executive in the management of the programmes that received fund appropriation. Budget is a management tool, and an operational document that shows detailed expenditure items, the costs, the time, and the kind of results expected. It is a tool for national economic managementof which its surplus or deficit has far reaching implications for the stability of the economy as a whole. It is a tool for plan implementation. Annual budget is linked to national development plan, as the financial resources needed for the implementation of each phase of the national development plan are contained in the budget (Obadan, 2003). While Aliegba, (2017) defined budget as the most essential document government produces that drives its policy priorities. Budget is a major political document that is at the centre of the success of every government. It identifies and targets at government annual major concerns, focus, and direction. A budget is an exhaustive plan of intended expenditure and revenue for a set period of time, usually one year. The definitions did not significantly capture the purpose of this paper. The study defines budget as an annual financial and nonfinancial policy priorities or programmes of Ebonyi state government set out in an instrument that contains the receivable financial revenues and expenditures with the expected goals of enhancing agricultural development, that is prepared by the executive and approved by the State Assembly, signed into law by Ebonyi State governor. Available online also at https://www.ajpasebsu.org.ng/ https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajpas.v16i1.3

Budgetary Process
The budgetary process involves budget conception, budget preparation, budget approval, budget execution, monitoring and control, and budget evaluation. These stages of budget process according to Obadan, (2003), lead to the appraisal of government activities in terms of their contributions to national objectives, the projection of governmental activities over an adequate period, usually January to December, in Nigeria; the determination of how these objectives can be attained with minimum resources; and the revision of the budget in the light of changing circumstances and experiences.
Budgetary process is majorly political, as budget itself is a political instrument of decision making that relates to allocation of public resources, influenced by the interplay of government machineries, the executive, legislature, bureaucrats, and various stakeholders and interest groups affected by public expenditure.
Therefore, the study defines budgetary process to mean the allocation of funds, release of funds for programmes of Ebonyi State government and its legislative oversights geared towards enhancing agricultural production as contained in the approved annual budget for agricultural development programmes in Ebonyi State.

Development
Onyekpe (2004), defined development as a generic term that encapsulates the transformation of the economy, the state, and the society by achieving greater capacity to deal with the challenges of production and its expansion, political governance, administration, and organizing civil society into a community of people.This means development is seen as progress of society that directs its attention on improving society and its structures towards growth. It also shows that development can be seen as economic growth (production and expansion) and improvement of political and social structures of every society. That is, development occurs when the productive forces of agricultural production are improved and expanded.
Therefore, development in the study is the transformation of agriculture, the individual farmers and the farming communities in Ebonyi State from deprivation of budgetary allocation, agricultural education, improved seedlings, pesticides, herbicides, farm inputs, farm lands, research information, etc, to freedom of choice to access all the materials and technical know-hownecessary, and required to achieve Available online also at https://www.ajpasebsu.org.ng/ https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajpas.v16i1.3 increased agricultural production that translates to increase in income, sustenance, and better community living in Ebonyi State.

Agriculture
Agriculture is a practice that is as old as man. The early people were involved in gathering of foods, fishing and hunting for sustenance and livelihood. According to Oyaniron, (2020), agriculture can be defined by identifying its four sectors in Nigeria: Crop production, fishing, livestock and forestry, with crop production accounting for about 87% of the total output, Livestock 8.1%, fishing 3.1%, and forestry 1.1%. Also, Harris, and Fuller (2014), saw agriculture as a process of landscape-scale food production. While, Aremu, (2014), defined agriculture as a way of life, an inherited dominant occupation that employs about 70% of Nigerians. The study defines agriculture as the art, science, and business of rice and yam production as policy priority of Ebonyi State government, contained in the state annual budgets as intervention of government through budgetary processes of fund allocations, fund releases, and legislative oversights towards agricultural development in the State.

Agricultural Development
Agricultural development isan age long practice that started by man discovery of plants, herbs, nuts, seeds, fruits etc as edible things for livelihood and sustenance of life. Agricultural development is to address the challenges hindering agricultural practices, especially in rural areas. These challenges include, the soil condition, inadequate seeds supply, fertilizers, water irrigation, diseases, and weather conditions. Also, transportation is important in agricultural practice, as farm products are to be transported to markets for farmers to sale and make money. This makes roads and other physical infrastructure, like communication pertinent in agricultural practice. Therefore, overcoming these challenges call for agricultural development, hence government funding. The study sees agricultural development beyond physical farming conditions. It means the use of budget allocations, budget releases, legislative oversights, by the Legislative and Executive arms of Ebonyi state government to enhance soil condition, provide adequate seed supplies, fertilizers, research, technology, security, physical infrastructures, like good road network, water irrigation, communications, extension services, control diseases, and general support to farmers that lead to increased production and distribution of farm produce, especially rice and yam. Available online also at https://www.ajpasebsu.org.ng/ https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajpas.v16i1.3 Therefore, agricultural development means in this paper the use of budget allocations, budget releases, and legislative oversights to enhance soil condition, provide adequate seed supplies, fertilizers, disease control, research, technology, and security, physical infrastructures like good road network, water irrigation etc, and general support to farmers for increased agricultural production.
A review of previous works on the efforts of Ebonyi State government at using budgetary process for agricultural development showed thatIbeogu and Abah (2016)  design for the study was survey research design. It was found that less than 80 % of the rural areas of Ebonyi State were still largely underdeveloped and farmers in the state lack access to credit facilities which affects their capacity to produce on commercial basis. It was equally found that the state's ADP has not really fulfilled its mandate in the area of helping rural farmers on the best method to be adopted in improving as well as enhancing agricultural productivity in the state. However, the study did not show the efforts of Ebonyi State government at making budgetary process tool for agricultural development in the State.
Similarly, Nnadozie, Oyediran, Njoku and Okoli (2015) examined the Nigerian agricultural cooperative and rural development in Ivo local government area of Ebonyi State. Descriptive research design was used in the study, with a population of 129,068 inhabitants. Data were analysed, using simple percentages and frequency counts. The result showed that challenges confronting agricultural cooperatives in Ivo local government area were low income, inadequate government interventions, and lack of adequate personnel, but it did not cover the assessment of the efforts of Ebonyi State government at using budgetary process for agricultural development.
Shuaibu (2014), studied rural development planning in Nigeria 1960Nigeria -1999 to review the efforts of the government and their challenges towards agricultural development. Data were generated via secondary method, and were content analysed. Urban-bias approach was the theoretical basis of analysis. It was discovered that democratic government in Nigeria has failed to evolve programmes and policies that would address the plethora of needs of the rural population. Available online also at https://www.ajpasebsu.org.ng/ https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajpas.v16i1.3 The author reviewed government planned programmes and challenges towards rural development, but notthe efforts of Ebonyi State government at using budgetary process for agricultural development in Ebonyi State.
Also, the literature on the constraints on budgetary process in agricultural development revealed that Omini, Ofana, and Effiong (2016), studied the constraints to agricultural development in Nigeria from 1970 to 2010 with the aim to discover major hindrances to the development of agriculture in Nigeria within the study period. Descriptive design and econometric approaches of unit root, co-integration, and error correction mechanisms were applied in the study. Jacque Bera normality test was used to re-assess the constraints to agricultural development in Nigeria. It was discovered that rainfall, food exports and exchange rate constitute most significantly, the positive determinants of agricultural output in Nigeria.
Also the study found major constraints to agricultural development in Nigeria to include diversion of funds for agriculture, and food imports. All systems perform mostly the same political functions, irrespective of differences among the systems and structures. Political structures in practice perform multi-functions whether specialised, nonspecialised, or primitive. The culture of any political system is a mixture of modern and traditional cultures.There cannot exist any all-modern or all-primitive culture. This theory will aid in understanding the efforts of various institutions and agencies of government at using budgetary process for agricultural development, and the inherent constraints in Ebonyi State. The theory was used to assess how Ebonyi State House of Assembly performed its functions of funds allocation, and oversights to agricultural sector and the efforts of executive arm at releasing funds and implementing policy programmes for agricultural development in Ebonyi State.

Research Methodology
The study used survey and historical research designs. The population was 643,688; with sample size of Available online also at https://www.ajpasebsu.org.ng/ https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajpas.v16i1.3 ofAbakaliki,Ikwo, and IvoLocal Government Areas. Also, from the Budget Office, the Rural Development Office, Auditor-General Office, and State House of Assembly. The primary data were collected by administering questionnaire to 399 respondents, of which 370 were returned, and interviewing 7 key-informants using in-depth interview method. Data from questionnaire were analysed using percentages and frequencies, while data from in-depth interview were analysed using narrative technique, and secondary data were content analysed.  Table 1 shows that 184(49.7%) of the respondents disagreedthat Ebonyi State government allocates funds for the establishment of water irrigation facilities for agricultural production, while 19(5.1%) of the respondents strongly disagreed; but, 108(29.2%) agreed with the statement.The Table, also, shows that 137(37%) of the respondents affirmed that through budgetary allocation, government Findings from in-depth interview showed that Ebonyi State government had made efforts at using budgetary process for agricultural development especially in providing training, improved seedlings, farm infrastructure, rural roads etc.The result from the primary sources of data in the study is slightly related to the findings of previous studies in the areas of issues covered and findings. Ibeogu and Abah (2016) found that less than 80% of the rural areas of Ebonyi State were still underdeveloped, as the farmers lack access to credit facilities, which affected their capacity for commercial production. Also, ADP, failed to fulfil its mandate in assisting rural farmers to understand best methods in improving, and enhancing agricultural productivity in the State, thereby continuing the challenges of food insecurity. The findings align with the intent of the findings of the study, that Ebonyi State government does not allocate funds for the establishment of water irrigation facilities for agricultural production, and that, it is not clear whether the State Assembly ensured the availability of fertilizer to farmers through budget oversights.While, Nnadozie, Oyediran, Njoku and Okoli (2015) found that the challenges facing agricultural cooperatives in Ivo local government area were low income, inadequate government interventions and lack of adequate personnel. Also, those agricultural cooperatives in the local government area were not effective in supporting agricultural production. These findings differ significantly from the findings of the study.

Data Presentation, Analysis and Discussion of Findings
Shuaibu (2014), analysed rural development planning in Nigeria 1960 -1999 and found among other things that democratic government in Nigeria failed to evolve programmes and policies that would address the plethora of needs of the rural population which is different from the findings of the study, while findings by Deneji (2011) showed that the various agricultural and rural development policies and programmes in Nigeria were developed and implemented by successive regimes in the country from 1960 to 2011, with the intention to enhance agricultural production, and achieve self-sufficiency in agriculture. The findings are related to the findings of the study, that Ebonyi State government provided funds in budgets for the acquisition and distribution offarm implements for farm production; establishment of nurseryfarms for improved seedlings Findings from the study have failed to support research proposition (i), showing that Ebonyi State government made efforts at using budgetary process for the development of agriculture in the State. This is because findings showed how Ebonyi State government provided money in the budgets for the establishment of nursery farms in local government areas, for distribution of improved rice and yam seedlings to farmers in the State. Also, it showed how Ebonyi State government acquired and distributed farm implements for rice and yam production from budgetary allocations to agriculture. Therefore, it implies that, with constant budgetary interventions in all facet of agricultural sector, the state economy could be sustained with agriculture, as jobs would be created, foods would be available for the teeming population, farmers' income would increase, rural-urban migration and poverty would be reduced.  The data in question 1 of Table 2 showthat majority of the respondents 209(56.5%) agreed that poor allocation and poor release of funds hindered the establishment of nursery farms for the distribution of improved rice and yam seedlings to farmers, while 20(5.4%) strongly disagreed. Table 2, further shows in question 2 that 214(57.8%) being majority of the respondents strongly agreed that lack of adequate legislative oversight on agricultural programmes hampered agricultural development, but 23(6.2%) strongly disagreed, while 14(3.8%) were undecided. Also, question 3, of the Table,  Majority of the in-depth interviewees agreed that there were constraints of budgetary process in agricultural development; ranging from corruption, lack of education, dearth of funds, poor oversight function by the legislature which if tackled, would ensure agricultural development.The results from the primary sources of this study slightly differ from the findings of previous studies. Findings by Omini, Ofana, and Effiong (2016) revealed that rainfall, food exports and exchange rate constitute most significantly, the positive determinants of agricultural output in Nigeria. Also, diversion of funds meant for agriculture, and food imports were major constraints to agricultural development in Nigeria. This is different from the finding of the study that poor allocation and release of funds hindered the establishment of nursey farms for the distribution of improved rice and yam seedlings to farmers. Garuba and Oghuma, (2018), found that there is increased involvement of the legislature in budgeting irrespective of some daunting challenges, and poor implementation of budgets over the period of the study. The findings of the study were similar to the findings that lack of adequate legislative oversight on agricultural programmes hampered agricultural development, and that diversion of funds for procurement of fertilizers and chemicals for pest control caused poor agricultural production in Ebonyi State. Again, Omoniji, Toluwase, Oludayo and Uche (2014) discovered that agricultural development programmes reviewed, impacted positively in increasing agricultural production, due to increase in the provision of fertilizers, pesticides, improved seedlings, and enhanced infrastructure, which aligned with some findings of the study.
The findings from the study significantly support research proposition (ii) showing that poor fund allocations, fund releases, legislative oversights, and corruption are constraints on budgetary process in enhancing agricultural development in Ebonyi State. Findings also, showed how poor allocation and release of funds hindered the establishment of nursey farms for the distribution of improved rice and yam seedlings to farmers. This means with adequate fund allocations and releases agricultural development is realisable and sustainable. Findings also, showed lack of adequate budget/legislative oversight by the State Assembly on agricultural programmes hampered agricultural development and encourages corruption, laxity, incompetence, and negligence, which led to the failure of agricultural programmes, and were further exacerbated by diversion of funds for fertilizer, chemicals for pest control, leading to poor agricultural production.
The theoretical outcome of this study showed clear difference from the findings of previous studies by other Scholars like Omini, Ofana, and Effiong (2016), Garuba and Oghuma, (2018), Omoniji, Toluwase, Oludayo and Uche (2014), among others. The findings of the Scholars were not focused on rice and yam production in relation to budgetary process of funds allocation, fund releases, and legislative oversight in Ebonyi State. The findings from the study unlike the previous studies clearly showed that poor fund allocations, fund releases, inadequate legislative oversights and corruption were constraints on budgetary process in enhancing agricultural development in Ebonyi State. Therefore, research proposition (ii), is valid.

Conclusion
This paper examined the budgetary process and agricultural development in the state looking at the efforts of government and challenges confronting them in enhancing robust agricultural production in Ebonyi State. The paper argued that improved budgetary allocations and releases are crucial to improvement in agricultural production in the state. The argument espoused in the paper agreed with the findings from questionnaire, in-depth interview and previous studies. Therefore, it is concluded that unless adequate budgetary allocations and releases are made by Ebonyi State government to the agricultural sector, with the corresponding oversight function of the legislature, agriculture in the State would continue to be underdeveloped, with the attendant challenges.

Recommendations
The following recommendations are important in this paper: i.
Ebonyi State government should invest more in agricultural mechanisation through adequate budget releases for agricultural development; and ii.
Ebonyi State House of Assembly should eradicate corruption among their members during oversight functions in order to minimise constraints on budgetary process in improving agricultural development in Ebonyi State.