By Awyetu Asabe Hope
The Federal Government has declared a national agricultural emergency following outbreaks of pests threatening tomato and sugarcane production across the country.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, announced the intervention at the Federal Crop Production Technology Transfer Station in Dan Hassan, Kano State, noting that the infestations pose serious threats to food security and farmers’ livelihoods.
The pests identified include Tuta absoluta, which is devastating tomato farms, and the African sugarcane borer, which attacks sugarcane plantations.
Abdullahi said the emergency response would sensitise farmers and extension workers, distribute approved pest-control inputs, and deploy integrated pest management strategies.
The scale of the infestations requires an urgent and coordinated response,” he said, explaining that Kano was chosen as the launch site due to its strategic role in irrigated agriculture and tomato production.
The minister highlighted the importance of tomato and sugarcane to income generation, employment, and industrial development, but noted that productivity has repeatedly suffered from pest infestations.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting the initiative under the Renewed Hope Agenda and announced the release last year of two improved tomato varieties—HORTITOM4 and HORTITOM5—to enhance crop resilience.
Abdullahi also revealed that the pest control division would be upgraded into a full-fledged Federal Department of Plant Health and Pest Control Services, strengthening the country’s capacity to address agricultural pests.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, represented by Kano’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Danjuma Mahoud, pledged the state’s collaboration with the federal government.
Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Marcus Ogunbiyi, described the programme as science-driven and partnership-based, aimed at repositioning agriculture as a cornerstone of national development.
National President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Muhammad Magaji, welcomed the intervention, saying it directly addresses the challenges faced by farmers affected by the infestations.
