A new report by a research and advisory firm, Veriv Africa, has expressed the necessity for Nigeria to adopt modern agricultural technologies, reform its credit system, and address farmer-herder conflicts to strengthen food security.
The call comes as part of Veriv Africa’s 2025 Food Price Baseline Survey, released last Tuesday in Abuja.
The report, based on data collected from 543 smallholder farmers across six major crop-producing states, provides critical insights into crop pricing, production challenges, and farmer demographics.
Key crops surveyed include cocoa in Ondo State, sesame and beans in Kano, rice and corn in Niger, tomato in Kaduna, and yam in Benue.
The study reveals that 84 percent of farmers operate on small landholdings of one to four acres and mainly rely on family labour.
Access to finance emerged as a major obstacle, with 60 percent of farmers funding their activities through personal savings and only 12% accessing formal credit.
Major challenges identified include limited access to finance (54 percent), insecurity (21 percent), and post-harvest losses (12 percent).
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The report also highlighted the importance of technology and private-sector investment in modern farming and processing, recommending the revitalization of Staple Crop Processing Zones—an initiative supported by the African Development Bank—currently located in states such as Akwa Ibom, Edo, and Osun.
These zones aim to add value to crops, boost processing capacity, and reduce dependency on imports.
Baseline crop prices recorded during the survey include cocoa at ₦110,000 per 50kg bag, sesame at ₦102,305.19, un-milled rice at ₦43,750, yam at ₦39,423.08 per 50 tubers, corn at ₦36,309.52, and tomato at ₦12,500 per 50kg basket.
The report urged urgent policy action to tackle rural insecurity—including herder-farmer clashes and kidnappings—and called for public-private partnerships to invest in rural infrastructure such as roads, irrigation, electricity, and storage.
Veriv Africa recommends a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s agricultural credit system to eliminate collateral and residency barriers that hinder access to finance for smallholder farmers.
The firm noted that private-sector involvement, particularly in tomato production, has shown promising outcomes, emphasizing the need for continued investment and innovation in agriculture.
NAN
