The Federal Government has attributed the recent decline in the prices of major food commodities across Nigeria to its targeted market interventions, expanded production initiatives, and strategic investments in the agricultural ecosystem.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, made this known at the 47th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Agriculture and Food Security (NCAFS) held in Kaduna on Thursday.
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Kyari said that the ongoing reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration are firmly anchored on achieving food sovereignty, ensuring Nigeria produces what it consumes while making food accessible, available, and affordable for every household.
“As we continue along this path, we are already beginning to witness a decline in food prices across several commodities, a reflection of ongoing targeted market interventions. While we are not yet where we want to be, this positive trend confirms that we are moving in the right direction,” the Minister stated.
He explained that the first step toward food sovereignty is ensuring consistent, high-yield production through timely access to quality and affordable inputs. To this end, the Ministry, in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and State Governments, has strengthened the National Agricultural Growth Scheme–Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP), the government’s flagship input delivery and productivity expansion programme.
Kyari disclosed that wheat production has continued to expand nationwide, growing from 15 participating states in the 2023/2024 dry season to broader coverage in the 2024/2025 cycle — a development he described as a testament to Nigeria’s growing self-sufficiency drive.
He added that a major milestone was recorded in October 2025 with the introduction of rainfed wheat cultivation in Kuru, Plateau State — an innovation by the Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI) that allows wheat farming beyond irrigated zones.
“With rainfed varieties now proven viable across the highlands of Plateau, Taraba, and Cross River States, Nigeria is charting a new course toward all-year farming and self-sufficiency in wheat production,” he said.
To tackle post-harvest losses and stabilise prices, Kyari announced the implementation of the Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation Programme (NiPHaST) — a legacy initiative developed in collaboration with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and unveiled earlier this year during the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Dakar, Senegal.
He further disclosed that the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) has been approved for a ₦1.5 trillion recapitalisation and an additional ₦250 billion financing window to support smallholder farmers.
In collaboration with Heifer Nigeria, the Ministry has also launched a National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme to support youth- and women-led mechanisation service centres across all six geopolitical zones.
“Mechanisation will become a national service that modernises production, raises yields, and creates sustainable rural employment,” Kyari noted.
On his part, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, emphasised the adoption of climate-smart agriculture as key to achieving long-term productivity.
“We must adopt climate-smart practices that increase crop yields while building resilience,” he stated.
Abdullahi highlighted flagship programmes including the 500,000-hectare Dry Season Farming Scheme, renewable energy-powered irrigation projects, and the Every Home a Garden initiative — championed by First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu — which promotes household food production nationwide.
Declaring the Council open, Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, described the meeting as timely, coming at a period when food security has become central to Nigeria’s survival and development.
“We face a dual imperative: to secure the food that nourishes our people and to build an agricultural economy that sustains our prosperity,” he said.
“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, our nation is embracing a transformation guided by innovation, resilience, and inclusivity. These are not isolated policies; they are the scaffolding of a new era of shared growth and self-reliance.”
Governor Uba Sani explained that Kaduna State has made agriculture a moral and economic imperative by empowering smallholder and commercial farmers, expanding access to credit, improving input delivery, and modernising logistics to foster agribusiness growth.
Ahead of the Council’s plenary, the Ministers and stakeholders toured several agricultural sites, including De-Branch Farmers, the Afrexim Bank Quality Assurance Centre (under construction), Olam Agri, Tomato Jos, and TMDK Agro Park, where they witnessed innovative value addition and rural job creation efforts.
The event concluded with awards and recognitions presented to outstanding farmers and agricultural stakeholders who demonstrated excellence and innovation in advancing Nigeria’s food security agenda.
