The Federal Government has intensified efforts to make agricultural inputs more affordable and accessible to farmers, aiming to consolidate recent declines in food prices and ensure long-term food security.
Speaking with journalists after a Senate public hearing in Abuja, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said the government’s priority has shifted from reducing food prices—which have already started to ease—to addressing the high costs of critical farm inputs such as fertilizers, irrigation systems, and fuel.
The forum, organised by the Senate Committee on Agriculture chaired by Senator Salihu Mustapha (Kwara Central), provided stakeholders the opportunity to contribute to three proposed bills: the Cassava Flour (Mandatory Inclusion into Flour Production) (Establishment) Bill, 2023; the National Food Reserve Agency (Establishment) Bill, 2023; and the Rice Development Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2024.
Kyari explained that the Tinubu administration is developing mechanisms to support farmers through credit facilities and private sector partnerships, making essential inputs more affordable across all key crops.
“We are trying to create mechanisms that will allow farmers to access credit and, at the same time, cheaper products for farming,” he said. He added that these interventions would benefit not only staple crops but also vegetables like onions, tomatoes, and peppers.
On tackling post-harvest losses, a long-standing challenge for Nigeria’s food security, the minister announced a new legacy project focusing on community-level storage facilities, moving away from the large urban silos that have historically dominated government policy. “We are driving a new harvest silos programme where about 85 percent of storage will be located within rural communities to replace the old, inefficient silos,” Kyari noted.
Funding for this initiative will come from the New Growth Infrastructure Fund and the National Agriculture Development Fund, both aimed at strengthening the agricultural value chain and reducing food wastage. Community-based storage is expected to help preserve surplus produce, release it during scarcity periods, and stabilise prices.
While food prices have declined since last year, the minister stressed that the government’s goal is to achieve greater stability and affordability by 2026.
Kyari highlighted that additional support measures to boost productivity, enhance mechanisation, and promote agro-processing would soon be rolled out in partnership with state governments and farmer cooperatives.
“Our goal is to make sure that every farmer, big or small, has the tools, inputs, and storage facilities needed to contribute to national food security,” he affirmed.
Furthermore, experts note that high input costs, inadequate storage, and weak distribution networks have long hindered sustainable food production, and the government’s renewed focus on structural reforms signals a strategic shift to address these bottlenecks.
With improved access to inputs, enhanced storage, and better credit facilities, Nigeria aims to consolidate gains in the food market and move toward self-sufficiency and long-term food security by 2026.
