Nigeria’s Agricultural Progress and Vision for Food Sovereignty
Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has highlighted the country’s tangible progress towards achieving food sovereignty and food security. He emphasized that federal interventions are beginning to stabilize markets and bring down food prices, marking a significant step forward in addressing long-standing challenges in the agricultural sector.
This declaration was made during the opening of the 47th National Council on Agriculture and Food Security in Kaduna. The event, held at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Hall in Murtala Square from November 3 to 7, 2025, brought together key stakeholders including state commissioners of agriculture, development partners, lawmakers, and private-sector players. The annual policy forum aimed to review Nigeria’s agricultural progress and set the stage for future initiatives.
A Foundation for National Resilience
Kyari underscored the importance of agriculture in Nigeria, noting that it remains the largest employer of labor and contributes more than one-quarter of the nation’s GDP. Beyond these figures, he stressed that agriculture is the foundation of national renewal and resilience.
The administration of President Bola Tinubu has prioritized food security as a cornerstone of national stability. This year’s theme, “Food Sovereignty and Food Security: An Era of Renewed Hope,” aligns with the president’s vision of self-reliance and economic diversification. Kyari explained that food sovereignty involves control over what is grown, how it is grown, and how it is consumed, while food security ensures that every household has access to safe, affordable, and nutritious food.
Market Stabilization and Price Reductions
Early results from these efforts have been encouraging, with a gradual decline in the prices of key food commodities. Kyari noted that this reflects ongoing market stabilization efforts. To further boost production, the federal government has strengthened the National Agricultural Growth Scheme–Agro-Pocket, implemented with support from the African Development Bank and state governments.
The program provides timely and affordable inputs to farmers, helping them increase productivity. Kyari mentioned that wheat cultivation has expanded from 15 states in the 2023/2024 dry season to a wider coverage this season. Additionally, the introduction of rainfed wheat farming in Plateau, Taraba, and Cross River States marks a breakthrough by the Lake Chad Research Institute, allowing wheat to be grown beyond irrigated areas.
Addressing Post-Harvest Losses
To tackle post-harvest losses estimated at over $10 billion annually, the minister unveiled the Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation Programme. Developed in collaboration with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, the initiative will provide smallholders with climate-smart storage tools such as hermetic bags and metal silos. It also includes upgrading cooperative processing hubs and national silos through public-private partnerships.
Kyari also highlighted the enhancement of operations at national grain reserves in several states, aiming for greater efficiency and capacity.
Kaduna State’s Agricultural Commitment
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State described agriculture as both a “moral and economic imperative” for his administration. He revealed that the state had increased its agriculture budget by nearly 5,000 per cent in two years, expanding it from N1.48 billion in 2023 to N74.02 billion in 2025. This investment is expected to push agriculture’s share of the state budget beyond 14 per cent, surpassing the Malabo Declaration target.
Kaduna, known as the “agricultural heartbeat of Nigeria,” contributes 43 per cent of the state’s GDP and employs nearly 60 per cent of its population. The state leads in the production of ginger, maize, and grapes and is second in soybeans. Sani highlighted the distribution of over 900 trucks of fertiliser to farmers across all 23 local government areas and support for livestock producers with feed, vaccines, and infrastructure.
Enhancing Farmer Resilience
Over 100,000 smallholder farmers have been enrolled in a crop risk insurance scheme to protect them from losses caused by pests, disease, and climate shocks. Improved security through the Kaduna Peace Model has enabled farmers to reclaim farmlands once abandoned due to insecurity. Sani noted that 20,000 hectares of reclaimed land are being cleared with irrigation systems to enable all-season farming.
A Call for Collective Action
In his welcome remarks, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, declared that “Food is Security.” He observed that the theme of the meeting reflected the Tinubu administration’s resolve to place food security at the core of Nigeria’s economic renewal.
Ogunbiyi urged delegates to focus on practical outcomes that improve farmers’ lives. “Let us see beyond challenges and focus on possibilities,” he stressed. He envisioned a Nigeria where every family has enough to eat, where farmers prosper from their labor, and where agriculture once again becomes the pride of the economy.