The Federal Government has outlined its agricultural reforms aimed at ensuring food availability, affordability, and accessibility across Nigeria. Speaking in Maiduguri, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, detailed ongoing initiatives to address food insecurity and stimulate economic recovery
.The ministry is employing a multi-faceted approach to overcome challenges such as insecurity, flooding, and heavy reliance on imports, especially in wheat and rice production. A national wheat farming program has been launched to reduce the annual import of over six million tonnes of wheat, with Cross River State becoming the first southern state to participate.
Fertilizer distribution under the program has increased rice production by 58,000 tonnes, allowing the government to subsidize rice for states affected by flooding. The ministry’s rice program has also led to nationwide harvest improvements.
Kyari emphasized protecting both consumers and local producers, noting that 80 percent of food is produced by Nigerian farmers. With the population expected to reach 400 million by 2050, the government is focusing on mechanized farming, youth empowerment, and restoration of national assets like tractors to sustain food security.
To reduce post-harvest losses, Nigeria has signed agreements with Brazil for food preservation and processing, and with Belarus for agricultural output aggregation services. The minister warned against misuse of government-provided machinery and revealed only three of Nigeria’s silo sites are currently functional, with plans to rehabilitate the rest in partnership with stakeholders.
