In a climate of anticipation and renewed hope, stakeholders from various sectors eagerly anticipate the dawn of a new era in agricultural policy implementation. The spotlight is now on the incoming agriculture minister, who bears the weighty responsibility of steering Nigeria’s agricultural sector toward unprecedented heights of prosperity, fortified food security, and lasting sustainability.
Nigeria’s agricultural domain remains an indomitable cornerstone of the nation’s economy, sustaining the livelihoods of millions while wielding substantial influence over the country’s GDP.
The mounting projections indicate Nigeria’s population swelling to a staggering 250 million by 2030. In tandem, the challenges confronting the intricate landscape of food and nutrition grow increasingly complex and pressing.
The heartbeat of this industry are the farmers who harbour not only anticipation but also distinct hopes for the formulation of both medium and long-term strategies. These strategies are envisaged to not only catalyze progress but also prioritise the most critical domains. Their aspirations further entail a comprehensive suite of measures, each meticulously designed to orchestrate the sector’s thriving success and the equitable distribution of benefits to every Nigerian.
Basically, the National Development Plan (2021-2025) also emerge as a guiding light, illuminating the federal government’s steadfast dedication. The commitment should revolves around the strategic utilisation of knowledge, technology, and innovative practices. These forces, when harmonised, promise to fortify the intricate process of economic diversification. Central to this endeavor is the renewal of research efforts, the augmentation of training initiatives, and the facilitation of widespread access to inputs, technology, and markets. The intended result is a reinvigoration of agricultural production and processing, poised to create a surge in job opportunities and escalate export revenues.
Within the corridors of the federal ministry of agriculture and food security an ambitious blueprint has materialised in the form of the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP). This policy, spanning the years 2022 to 2027, crystallises the sector’s adaptation to the shifting contours of global food systems and intricate supply chains.
Having embarked on its journey, NATIP has set sail under the careful guidance of the former minister of agriculture and rural development, Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar. The orchestration intends to harness synergy and optimize coordination, facilitating the consolidation of the triumphs gleaned from the preceding agricultural developmental policies.
Guided by an intrinsic determination, it also seek to reposition the national agricultural research system, holistic mechanisation drive, provision of rural infrastructure, standardisation of inputs and processing systems and techniques; development of commodity value chain through clusters and special agro-processing zones.
Although the challenges facing Nigeria’s agricultural sector are numerous, but they are not insurmountable as stakeholders in the agricultural sector are already asking that with a clear vision, comprehensive strategies, and a commitment to collaboration, the incoming agriculture minister has the opportunity to lead the sector towards a brighter and more prosperous future.
Stakeholders highlight expectations for new agriculture minister
The national president of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Arc Kabir Ibrahim, emphasised the importance of implementing the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Plan (NATIP) and urged the new minister to critically evaluate and institutionalize the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) interventions in the agricultural sector.
In a bid to promote collaboration and synergy, Ibrahim advocated for the recapitalization of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) and the sale of shares to farmers.
He also highlighted the necessity of working closely with stakeholders, including farmers’ associations, ministries of transport, science and technology, water resources, environment, trade and investment, as well as the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) and state governments.
“The BOA should be recapitalised and shares sold to farmers, and the new minister of agriculture should create synergy with all stakeholders in the agriculture space such as the farmers associations, ministries of transport ,science and tech, water resources, and environment.
The new minister should synergies with the ministry of trade and investment, NALDA and all state governments because agriculture is in the local government areas”, Ibrahim said.
Also, the national president of the Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria (POFAN), Chief Daniel Okafor, identified key challenges such as insecurity, climate change, data management, insurance, quality seeds, and continuous training for farmers.
Okafor called for inclusivity, urging the minister to ensure that farmers’ voices are heard and their needs met, including providing rural access routes, irrigation systems, and enhanced security measures.
According to him, “The first and foremost agenda for POFAN to the agric minister. Issues of insecurities , climate change, database, insurance, quality seeds, training and retraining of farmers.
“The minister of Agriculture and Rural development should be where farmers will be Carry along We farmers need a rural route to the farm., irrigation system is required.above all security is needed.”
In Kogi State, a rice farmer named Williams Egwuda highlighted the dire need for enhanced security measures, particularly in addressing the farmer-herdsmen conflicts that have severely impacted crop yield and productivity. Egwuda appealed for chemical support, seedlings, and modernized farming techniques that would enable farmers to achieve higher yields. He also emphasized the importance of providing soft loans to rural farmers, who often face capital challenges.
One of the major concerns highlighted by Egwuda was the lack of proper road networks in rural areas, hindering the transportation of produce to markets. He stressed the need for improved infrastructure to facilitate smoother access to commercial markets for agricultural products.
Williams Egwuda who is a rice farmer in Ibaji local government area said, “Our major challenge is insecurity. We wish that the new administration of President Bola Tinubu should address the issue of herdsman and farmer crisis. It has really affected our output and even our production.
“We need the minister to ensure that security is made available for farmers in the next farming season. Though we are almost rounding up with the wet season farming and the dry season farming, which is irrigation, will come up any moment from now. But the major challenge has being that herdsmen are affecting and disturbing our crops. It is very alarming.
“Another aspect we want the government to come in is a way of palliative to give us chemicals that will enable us to do better and have a commercial quantity of our products. Especially we need seedlings, rice seedlings, modernised or the hybrid seedling that can really assist us. These are most of the areas we actually want the government to come in.
We also need the government to come in is if they can make a loan, a soft loan for farmers at the rural area, it will be so good for us. It will really assist us because major challenges with the farmers is lack of capital.”
Speaking further, he said, “But the major problem which I describe as the hydra-headed challenge or monster that really affects us is the area of road network. Most of our farm is located or situated within the rural area where we don’t really have access roads, good roads that we can convey or we can carry our produce to a major marketing”.
More so, in a bid to reinvigorate Nigeria’s cocoa industry, farmers within the sector are urging the establishment of a regulatory board, specifically dedicated to promoting and developing the cocoa supply chain. The proposal, which emphasises the need to separate the regulatory function from buying and selling activities, is gaining traction among cocoa farmers who aim to steer the industry towards sustainable growth.
The national president of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), Comrade Adeola Adegoke, stressed the need to repositioning the cocoa industry for future success.
In a conversation with LEADERSHIP Weekend, Adegoke outlined the historical context behind the call for a regulatory board.
Recalling the challenges faced by smallholder cocoa farmers due to the price stabilisation policy of the dissolved cocoa board before 1986, Adegoke explained that CFAN believes the industry suffered setbacks following the dissolution of the Cocoa Board.
He remarked that this dissolution led to negative shifts in various aspects of the industry, including production, productivity, quality, livelihood, deforestation, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), extension services, policy planning, research and development, ecosystem management, and child labor.
Adegoke stressed that CFAN’s stance stems from the conviction that the downfall of the cocoa industry was a result of the price stabilisation policy rather than the overall promotion and development mandate of the Board.
He pointed out that Nigeria’s cocoa industry enjoyed high production, productivity, and excellent bean quality with a rich aroma during the 1960s and early 1970s in West Africa, highlighting the positive impact of the Cocoa Board’s original mission.
In light of the challenges currently facing the cocoa sector and in preparation for evading the European Union’s ban on unsustainable cocoa beans in 2025, CFAN is actively advocating for a regulatory board with a distinct focus on promoting and developing the cocoa industry. The proposed board would be responsible for enhancing the entire cocoa supply chain in a sustainable manner.
