By Stella Odueme
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to achieving food security for all Nigerians, following a 4.39 per cent growth recorded in the agricultural sector in the second quarter of 2026.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement commemorating the 2026 World Food Day, themed “Innovate Today. Nourish Tomorrow.”
Abdullahi said the theme underscored the importance of present-day innovations in determining the country's future food security.
He explained that the ministry was implementing a comprehensive strategy to transform agriculture into a productive, resilient, competitive and investment-driven sector capable of feeding the population and contributing significantly to economic growth.
According to him, the strategy focuses on increasing food production, reducing losses, strengthening agricultural value chains and ensuring that farmers operate profitably through interventions covering research, farm inputs, storage, processing, financing, marketing and consumption.
He added that the ministry was working with state governments, farmers' organisations, development partners, research institutions, financial institutions and the private sector to achieve the objectives.
Citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the minister said agriculture had returned to a strong growth trajectory for the first time since 2021, recording 4.39 per cent overall growth in the second quarter of 2026, while crop production expanded by 3.66 per cent.
He attributed the performance to reforms and investments under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda.
The minister also disclosed that Nigeria's annual domestic wheat production had increased to approximately 420,000 metric tonnes from the previous baseline of 120,000 metric tonnes, representing a 3.5-fold increase.
He attributed the improvement to the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP), which, according to him, had supported smallholder farmers to produce 2.5 million metric tonnes of staple foods within four farming seasons.
Abdullahi further highlighted the commissioning of the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme, featuring 2,000 tractors and implements, as part of efforts to modernise farming, reduce labour demands and make agriculture more attractive to young people.
Other interventions, he said, included soil mapping under the National Soil Health and Fertility Programme, promotion of bio-fortified crops, revitalisation of agricultural extension services and deployment of digital e-extension platforms linked to the National Farmers Registry harmonised with the National Identification Number.
On rising food prices, the minister said the government was addressing the challenge through expanded dry-season farming, investments in Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones, and the development of storage and cold-chain facilities.
He said the initiatives were designed to reduce post-harvest losses from 40 per cent to below 20 per cent, alongside the orderly release of food from the Strategic Food Reserve and the implementation of a Guaranteed Minimum Price mechanism.
The government, he added, was also promoting climate-smart agriculture, expanding irrigation, repositioning the Bank of Agriculture to provide affordable financing, and strengthening agricultural insurance and pest surveillance.
On cooperative development, Abdullahi said the implementation of the National Cooperative Identity Reform under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme 2030 would establish a transparent, credible and bankable cooperative sector.
He explained that the programme, unanimously approved by the Eighth National Council on Cooperative Affairs in March 2026, was built around seven pillars covering legal and regulatory reforms, digitalisation and data management, cooperative finance, capacity building, enterprise growth, socioeconomic inclusion and strategic partnerships.
Acknowledging insecurity in some major food-producing areas of Northern Nigeria, the minister said the government was responding through the deployment of agro-rangers to protect farmlands and stronger collaboration between security agencies and farming communities.
He described food security as a collective responsibility and commended the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and other development partners for their continued support.
Abdullahi reaffirmed the ministry's determination to build an agricultural sector capable of feeding the nation, improving livelihoods and driving sustainable economic growth.
Speaking during a walk and sensitisation rally organised to commemorate the event, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Marcus Olaniyi Ogunbiyi, said World Food Day provided an opportunity to reflect on the challenges confronting food production, distribution and affordability.
He noted that the observance called attention not only to food consumption but also to farmers, agricultural resources and the systems required to preserve and distribute food, particularly for millions of people struggling to afford healthy meals.
Ogunbiyi said the occasion also offered an opportunity to celebrate farmers and other stakeholders across the food value chain, assess progress and renew collective efforts to end hunger.
He stressed that innovation must go beyond modern machinery and digital technology to encompass improved seeds, efficient irrigation, sustainable soil management, better farming practices, food processing, transportation and effective storage systems.
According to him, practical innovations must also enable smallholder farmers, women and young people to participate meaningfully in agricultural development.
In his remarks, the FAO Country Representative for Nigeria and ECOWAS, Dr. Hussein Gadain, represented by the organisation's Programme Officer, Jimmy Owani, said innovation would have the greatest impact when its benefits reached the people who needed it most.
He maintained that agricultural innovations must extend beyond laboratories, research institutions and policy discussions to farmers' fields, fishing communities, pastoral systems, rural enterprises and households across Nigeria.
Gadain added that investments in people, innovation and partnerships were essential to building resilient agrifood systems, ending hunger, improving nutrition and ensuring that no Nigerian was left behind.
Also speaking, the National President of the Coalition of Farmers Associations for Food Security in Nigeria (COA-FARMERS), Chief Emmanuel Anoh, commended the government's agricultural transformation initiatives.
He said the efforts were geared towards achieving food and nutrition security, stimulating economic growth and improving the livelihoods of Nigerian farmers.