Nigeria’s $10bn Food Import Burden Raises Concerns Over Economic Resilience

Nigeria’s annual food import bill, estimated at about $10 billion, has come under renewed scrutiny, with policymakers and industry stakeholders warning that sustained dependence on external supply chains could weaken the country’s economic resilience and strain foreign exchange reserves.

The import burden, spanning staples such as wheat, rice, sugar, fish and tomato paste are in Spotlight of a persistent structural imbalance in Africa’s largest economy.

Despite possessing an estimated 85 million hectares of arable land and a large youthful workforce, domestic production continues to lag behind demand, leaving Nigeria exposed to global price shocks and currency volatility.

Analysts attribute the widening gap between production and consumption to longstanding bottlenecks, including limited access to affordable finance, poor rural infrastructure and insecurity in key farming regions.

These constraints, they note, have curtailed productivity growth and discouraged large-scale investment in agriculture, even as food demand rises with population growth.

The situation has heightened concerns over food security, particularly amidst global supply disruptions that tend to inflate import costs and deepen pressure on the naira.

Experts say that without urgent structural reforms, Nigeria risks entrenching its reliance on imports at a time when foreign-exchange earnings remain fragile.

Speaking in Abuja, Country Director of Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), Godwin Atser, said Nigeria’s continued food import dependence reflects a critical shortfall in domestic production capacity.

He noted that despite ongoing government efforts to transform agriculture, Nigeria continues to spend about $10 billion annually on food imports, including wheat, rice, sugar, fish and tomato paste.

He added that the country’s production capacity still falls short of demand, underscoring the urgent need to deploy appropriate technologies to farmers through effective extension and advisory services to boost productivity and ensure food security.

Speaking on the theme, “The 2025 theme, ‘Transforming the Agricultural Landscape through Digital Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services,’ he highlights the importance of bridging the gap between farmers and extension services.

He said, “With the extension-to-farmer ratio standing at approximately one agent to 10,000 farmers, there is a clear need for innovative, technology-driven solutions to improve outreach and enhance agricultural productivity.”