The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has urged state governments to align agricultural production with consumption patterns to protect farmers from losses, strengthen agro-industrialisation and stabilise food prices across the country. 🔗 National Council on Agriculture and Food Security (NCAFS) Kyari gave the charge on Thursday at the 48th Council Meeting of the National Council on Agriculture and Food Security (NCAFS), held at Hotel Presidential, Enugu, with the theme, “Enhancing Agricultural Value Chains, Agro- Industrialisation and Market Access for Economic Growth.”
He said Nigeria must address the disconnect between agricultural production and market demand, noting that while rising food prices had placed enormous pressure on households, subsequent price declines had left many farmers struggling to recover their production costs. 🔗 Central Bank of Nigeria According to him, the country experienced significant fluctuations in food inflation, which peaked at 40.87 per cent in June 2024, declined to 8.89 per cent in January 2026, before rising again to 19.59 per cent in September 2026.
The minister attributed the renewed inflationary pressure partly to escalating conflicts in the Middle East, which disrupted energy, shipping and fertiliser markets, pushing the price of urea above $850 per tonne in April 2026 and increasing production, transportation and other input costs. 🔗 World Bank He said President Bola Tinubu had responded by strengthening investment and financing mechanisms in the agricultural sector, including the operationalisation of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), recapitalisation of the Bank of Agriculture and introduction of the N200 billion Guaranteed Minimum Price Programme.
Kyari explained that the interventions were designed to move beyond immediate food price relief by protecting farmers’ incentives to produce while ensuring the availability of affordable food for Nigerian households. 🔗 Bank of Agriculture He disclosed that the NADF Farm Input Support Programme had reached more than 115,000 beneficiaries across 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory, while N16.27 billion had been disbursed through agribusiness financing. 🔗 National Bureau of Statistics He added that the Bank of Agriculture had financed more than 500,000 smallholder farmers and was anchoring the Guaranteed Minimum Price Programme to protect eligible farmers against distress sales through structured purchases and commodity aggregation.
On mechanisation, the minister said the Federal Government was expanding the Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme, following the first phase involving 2,000 tractors and more than 9,000 implements. 🔗 Enugu State He disclosed that a second phase involving 1,500 tractors and over 8,000 pieces of complementary equipment was underway to improve farmers’ access to mechanisation, reduce production costs and boost productivity.
Kyari stressed that agricultural production must be driven by actual market demand, explaining that the price of maize, for instance, affects feed mills, poultry producers, food processors and ultimately consumers. 🔗 African Continental Free Trade Area He said processors required agricultural raw materials in the right quantities, quality and at commercially viable prices, stressing the need to connect farmers with processing industries, investments and dependable markets.
The minister further identified the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones initiative and the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project as critical interventions for expanding domestic value addition and improving connections between farming communities and markets. 🔗 IFAD He also disclosed that the World Bank-supported AGROW Project, currently being prepared for implementation, would create more commercial partnerships between smallholder farmers and agribusinesses. 🔗 African Union According to him, the African Continental Free Trade Area also presents opportunities for Nigerian agricultural products, but the country must improve standards in quality, safety, traceability and consistency of supply to compete effectively in regional and international markets.
He urged state commissioners of agriculture to strengthen production forecasts ahead of the 2027 farming season, align agricultural supply with industrial demand and improve coordination between producing and consuming areas. 🔗 Tinubu "This alignment will protect farmers from losses, ensure factories get raw materials in the right quantity and quality, stabilise food prices for consumers, and reduce waste across value chains," he said.
Providing an update on the sector’s contribution to the economy, Kyari said figures from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that Nigeria’s economy grew by 4.43 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, while agriculture recorded 4.39 per cent growth and contributed 26.15 per cent of real Gross Domestic Product. 🔗 Nigeria He added that agricultural value added reached N101.46 trillion at current prices in 2025.
The minister described the performance as a collective achievement of federal and state governments, ministries, departments and agencies, development partners, research institutions, farmers’ organisations and the private sector. 🔗 Peter Mbah Kyari also commended Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, for what he described as his commitment to accountability and measurable results, noting that the governor’s presentation of his administration’s achievements against its manifesto commitments demonstrated an understanding of public service.
Declaring the meeting open, Governor Mbah said Nigeria’s agricultural challenge was not a shortage of potential or policies but the inability to translate them into an agricultural economy capable of delivering prosperity on a large scale. 🔗 Enugu State He observed that farmers could record good harvests and still struggle to earn decent incomes because of inadequate processing facilities, storage, logistics and access to dependable markets.
Mbah disclosed that his administration was working to grow Enugu State’s economy from approximately $4.4 billion to $30 billion, with agriculture serving as one of the major drivers of the ambition. 🔗 Nigeria He said agriculture already accounted for approximately 40 per cent of the state’s Gross Domestic Product when his administration assumed office, prompting a shift in the state’s agricultural policy towards agro-industrialisation. 🔗 Enugu State
According to him, the government has moved beyond focusing solely on how much farmers can produce to determining how much economic value can be created from agricultural output. 🔗 Peter Mbah He listed some of the state’s interventions to include support for more than 60,000 farmers, the assembly of 107 tractors in Enugu, registration of over 84,000 farmers in a digital database, the 260 Farm Estates Programme and the establishment of a 187,000-hectare land bank. 🔗 Enugu State Other initiatives, he said, included the expansion of palm and Songhai projects, revival of Sunrise Flour Mills, establishment of a livestock centre at Ubahu and development of a cargo terminal to connect agricultural produce from the state to international markets. 🔗 Enugu State
The governor said the theme of the council meeting reflected his administration’s agricultural development strategy, which prioritised connecting production with processing and markets, equipping farmers with machinery, knowledge and technology, and creating an enabling environment for private sector investment. 🔗 Peter Mbah He declared that Enugu was open for agribusiness, adding that agriculture must make a substantial contribution to President Tinubu’s ambition of building a $1 trillion Nigerian economy by 2030. 🔗 Tinubu
Earlier, the Enugu State Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro- Industrialisation, Dr Patrick Nwabueze Ubru, said the state was hosting the NCAFS meeting 14 years after it last hosted the gathering. 🔗 Enugu State He said agriculture in the state was transitioning from largely subsistence production to a commercially driven and agro-industrialised economy under Governor Mbah. 🔗 Peter Mbah Ubru disclosed that participants had visited the Enugu Tribu Songhai Farm, Enugu Ranch, an IFAD- supported rice mill and a cashew processing plant to assess the state’s agricultural investments. 🔗 IFAD He said the investments were targeted at farmers, who account for about 75 per cent of the state’s population, adding that the government was pursuing an economic growth target of $30 billion by 2031, with agriculture expected to contribute 40 per cent, representing $12 billion. 🔗 Enugu State
The commissioner called on investors to explore opportunities in Enugu and the South-East, assuring that the state government would provide warehouses for federal agricultural inputs and venues for programmes. 🔗 Enugu State He, however, emphasised that increased agricultural production must be supported by processing, storage, logistics and reliable markets to guarantee sustainable returns for farmers. 🔗 Peter Mbah
In his vote of thanks, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the deliberations had reinforced the need to strengthen agricultural value chains, promote agro- industrialisation, improve market access and enhance food security. 🔗 Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi He assured that the Federal Government would continue to implement initiatives aimed at increasing agricultural productivity, promoting mechanisation and digital agriculture, supporting farmers, attracting private investment and creating employment opportunities. 🔗 Federal Government of Nigeria Abdullahi also called on state governments, development partners, research institutions, farmers’ associations and the private sector to ensure effective implementation of the resolutions reached at the meeting. 🔗 Nigeria