Federal Gov’t Targets Food Security, Value Addition As Farmers Meet In Abuja

The Federal Government has reiterated its call for an agricultural revolution driven by local processing, value addition and export-oriented production as a pathway to economic diversification and sustainable growth.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, made the call on Thursday in Abuja while delivering the opening address at the General Assembly of Farmers (GAF), organised by the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the General Assembly serves as a national platform for strengthening collaboration among farmers, government institutions, private sector actors and development partners, while reinforcing AFAN’s position as the unified national voice of Nigerian farmers.

Kalu said the Federal Government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, remains firmly committed to ensuring food security and repositioning agriculture as a strategic driver of national development.

He disclosed that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s 2026 Macroeconomic Outlook projects agricultural GDP growth of between 3.5 and 4.5 per cent, supported by increased investment in farm inputs, extension services and post-harvest infrastructure.

While describing the projection as encouraging, the Deputy Speaker warned that growth would be meaningless if it benefits only a few large-scale operators while millions of smallholder farmers remain trapped in subsistence farming.

“The challenge before us is not merely to grow agriculture, but to grow agriculture inclusively,” he said.

Kalu noted that the Tinubu administration has demonstrated renewed political will by prioritising agriculture through reforms such as the removal of fuel subsidy, which has freed up resources for agricultural mechanisation, input distribution and rural infrastructure development.

He also cited the declaration of a national state of emergency on food security, the implementation of the Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP), and the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI) as measures already yielding tangible results across key agricultural zones.

“I commend this administration for the political courage required to implement these reforms. Easy policies create illusion, not transformation. The President has chosen clarity over comfort, and we are beginning to see the dividends,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria’s agricultural transformation will not be driven by large estates alone, but by productivity gains among the country’s over 40 million smallholder farmers.

“A smallholder farmer who increases yield by 50 per cent—from 1.5 tonnes per hectare to 2.25 tonnes—contributes more to national output than a single large estate increasing production from 10 to 15 tonnes per hectare,” he explained.

He said productivity improvements across millions of households would generate employment, strengthen local economies and enhance national stability.

Kalu applauded AFAN for convening the General Assembly and urged the association to continue serving as a strong voice for farmers within government circles, while advocating for improved cultivation practices and efficient post-harvest systems to be embedded in all agricultural programmes.

He observed that Nigeria currently exports about $3 billion (₦4.44 trillion) worth of agricultural produce annually, largely cocoa, cashew and sesame, noting that the figures pale in comparison with Côte d’Ivoire’s over $4 billion cocoa exports and India’s more than $40 billion in agricultural exports.

“We export raw cocoa, not chocolate. We export unprocessed cashew, not cashew products. We export sesame seeds, not tahini or sesame oil,” he said.

According to him, a deliberate push toward value addition and export diversification could create millions of jobs and generate over $10 billion in annual foreign exchange earnings within five years.

He stressed that while government is setting the policy direction, the private sector must take the lead in processing, logistics and market development, adding that AFAN members investing in export-quality production deserve policy support and strategic partnerships.

The Deputy Speaker urged AFAN to establish structured engagement with government, develop commodity-specific roadmaps for crops such as maize, rice, poultry and horticulture, and create working groups focused on infrastructure, finance, technology and markets.

He also called on state governments to allocate at least five per cent of their annual budgets to agricultural infrastructure, adopt data-driven market frameworks and ensure accountability in agricultural output and job creation.

Addressing farmers directly, Kalu encouraged greater organisation, adoption of technology and improved productivity, stressing that farmers are not seeking charity but building wealth and feeding the nation.

“Nigeria’s future is tied to agriculture. Every job created in this sector feeds a household and keeps our youth productively engaged. Every gain in productivity strengthens national stability,” he said.

Earlier, the National President of AFAN, Dr Farouk Rabiu Mudi, said the theme of the 2025 General Assembly, “Empowering Farmers, Fostering Collaboration,” reflects the core objectives of the gathering.

He noted that as the umbrella body for farmers nationwide, AFAN plays a strategic role in ensuring that agricultural policies and investments respond effectively to the realities facing farmers.

Dr Mudi identified key challenges confronting the sector, including weak institutional coordination, limited access to finance and inputs, inadequate extension services and low adoption of innovation.

He said the General Assembly was designed to strengthen AFAN’s institutional capacity and reposition farmers at the centre of Nigeria’s agricultural transformation.

The highlight of the opening day of the three-day General Assembly was the presentation of an award to the Deputy Speaker in recognition of his contributions to advancing agricultural development in Nigeria.