By Abdullahi Lukman
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to achieving food security, citing a 4.39 per cent growth in Nigeria’s agricultural sector in the second quarter of 2026 and increased domestic wheat production to about 420,000 metric tonnes.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement marking the 2026 World Food Day, themed “Innovate Today. Nourish Tomorrow.”
According to the minister, the agricultural sector’s growth, alongside a 3.66 per cent expansion in crop production, represents a recovery in the sector’s performance since 2021, based on data from the National Bureau of Statistics.
He attributed the progress to reforms and investments under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, including interventions aimed at increasing food production, reducing post-harvest losses and improving farmers’ access to agricultural inputs, financing and markets.
Abdullahi said domestic wheat production had increased from a previous baseline of 120,000 metric tonnes to approximately 420,000 metric tonnes, representing a 3.5-fold rise, largely driven by the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP).
He added that the programme had supported smallholder farmers to produce 2.5 million metric tonnes of staple foods over four farming seasons.
The minister also highlighted the launch of the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme, which includes 2,000 tractors and implements to improve farm productivity, reduce labour demands and attract more young people into agriculture.
Other interventions, he said, include soil mapping under the National Soil Health and Fertility Programme, the promotion of biofortified crops, the revitalisation of agricultural extension services and the deployment of digital advisory platforms linked to the National Farmers Registry.
To address rising food prices, Abdullahi said the government was expanding dry-season farming, investing in irrigation and Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones, and developing storage and cold-chain facilities to reduce post-harvest losses from 40 per cent to below 20 per cent.
He added that the government was combining these measures with the orderly release of food from the Strategic Food Reserve, a Guaranteed Minimum Price mechanism, improved agricultural insurance and efforts to provide farmers with affordable financing through the Bank of Agriculture.
The minister further disclosed that the government was implementing the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme 2030 to strengthen the cooperative sector through digitalisation, improved regulation, access to finance, capacity building and greater economic inclusion.
He acknowledged that insecurity in some of the country’s major food-producing areas, particularly in northern Nigeria, remained a challenge. He said the government was responding through the deployment of agro-rangers and closer cooperation between security agencies and farming communities.
Speaking during a walk and sensitisation rally to mark the occasion, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Marcus Olaniyi Ogunbiyi, said World Food Day provided an opportunity to recognise farmers’ contributions, assess progress and renew efforts to end hunger.
Ogunbiyi stressed that agricultural innovation should extend beyond machinery and digital technology to include improved seeds, efficient irrigation, sustainable soil management, better transportation, food processing and measures to reduce waste.
He also called for practical solutions that would enable smallholder farmers, women and young people to participate more effectively in agricultural development.
Similarly, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Country Representative for Nigeria and ECOWAS, Dr Hussein Gadain, represented by Programme Officer Jimmy Owani, said innovation would have the greatest impact when its benefits reached farmers, fishing communities, pastoralists, rural businesses and households.
He emphasised the importance of investment in people, innovation and partnerships to build resilient agrifood systems, improve nutrition and reduce hunger.
Meanwhile, the National President of the Coalition of Farmers Associations for Food Security in Nigeria, Chief Emmanuel Anoh, commended the government’s agricultural interventions, saying they were aimed at improving food and nutrition security, stimulating economic growth and strengthening farmers’ livelihoods.
