FG Targets ₦160bn From 2025/2026 Dry-season Wheat Production 

The Federal Government, over the weekend unveiled an ambitious expansion of dry-season wheat production targeting an output value of about ₦160 billion for the 2025/2026 farming cycle, signalling a renewed push to strengthen food sovereignty and cut down the nation’s dependence on wheat imports.

Speaking in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State during the flag-off of the Subsidised Agricultural Inputs Distribution for the 2025/2026 dry-season wheat programme under the National Agricultural Growth and Agro Pocket Project (NAGS-AP), the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said the new season is structured to consolidate Nigeria’s wheat-production capacity and reduce reliance on imports.

Kyari disclosed that 40,000 hectares have been earmarked for cultivation and 80,000 farmers registered nationwide, an arrangement projected to yield approximately ₦160 billion in output value. Out of this figure, 3,000 hectares and 6,000 registered farmers have been allocated to Borno State.

He noted that Nigeria’s recent dry-season interventions have recorded significant gains. Under the 2023/2024 cycle, 107,429 farmers received subsidised inputs, producing an output valued at ₦474.6 billion. The 2024/2025 season followed with support to 279,297 farmers, yielding wheat valued at ₦893.75 billion.

Kyari explained that NAGS-AP is intensifying field-level technical support, with Agricultural Extension Agents deployed to guide farmers on modern agronomic practices. Fertiliser and Seed Quality Control Officers will also monitor all inputs delivered to ensure they meet certified standards.

According to him, the wheat component of the NAGS-AP project now covers sixteen states Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara—expanding production into multiple ecological zones, including the South, following Cross River’s inclusion last year.

He added that the programme is structured to ensure equitable participation of women and young people, guaranteeing their access to inputs, training and enterprise-building opportunities.

Kyari stressed that the success of each farming season rests on the quality and timeliness of inputs delivered to farmers, noting that NAGS-AP was designed to strengthen traceability and transparent delivery systems for higher productivity.

In his remarks, Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, commended the Federal Government’s continued investment in irrigation infrastructure, saying the state’s vast arable and irrigable land particularly around the Lake Chad Basin, positions it as one of Nigeria’s most promising agricultural frontiers.

Zulum described the launch as “a celebration of hope and resilience”, adding that despite displacement, insecurity and climate-related shocks, Borno remains committed to boosting food production and ensuring that no household is left behind. He reaffirmed his administration’s drive to sustain all-season farming through machinery provision, improved seeds, fertilisers, agrochemicals and other agricultural inputs.

Furthermore, on behalf of the smallholder farmers, Haruna Umaru pledged a stronger commitment to productivity in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the agricultural sector.