FG plans coordinated action to protect local farmers
By BUKOLA LONGE
The Federal Government has raised fresh concerns over the growing influx of subsidised agricultural imports, warning that unfair global trade practices are undermining local farmers, threatening food security and slowing Nigeria’s drive towards agricultural self-sufficiency.
The warning comes amid renewed efforts by the President Bola Tinubu’s administration to reposition agriculture as the engine of economic growth, poverty reduction and national development.
Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, sounded the warning during the second biannual meeting of the Agrifood Systems Working Group in Abuja, where he urged closer collaboration among government agencies, development partners, researchers and the private sector to confront both domestic and international challenges facing agriculture.
According to the minister, the influx of artificially cheap agricultural products into the domestic market is weakening local production, discouraging investment and undermining efforts to build a resilient agrifood system capable of supporting long-term economic growth.
He added that rising fertiliser and energy costs, driven by global conflicts, alongside trade distortions created by subsidised imports, continue to place enormous pressure on Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
Bagudu reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to using agriculture as a strategic tool for economic diversification, poverty reduction and food security, stressing that the country’s more than 42 million farming households remain central to achieving those objectives.
He argued that improving farmers’ access to finance, technology, improved seedlings, mechanisation and profitable markets would not only increase food production but also strengthen rural livelihoods and reduce dependence on food imports.
While acknowledging that insecurity has disrupted farming activities in several parts of the country, the minister maintained that ongoing institutional reforms—including increased funding for agricultural development agencies, promotion of climate-smart farming and greater private sector participation—would help shield the sector from external shocks.
The minister highlighted ongoing reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda, including the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, enhanced funding for the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) and the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), as well as greater emphasis on science, innovation and climate-smart agriculture.
He argued that agriculture should no longer be viewed solely as the responsibility of government but as a national enterprise requiring active participation from researchers, financial institutions, development partners and private investors.
The minister said that despite persistent insecurity in some farming communities, Nigeria can build a more productive and inclusive agrifood system through sustained reforms and coordinated action.
His optimism comes as the country’s agriculture sector expanded to N101.46 trillion in 2025 from N96.46 trillion in 2024, with real growth improving to 2.92 per cent from 1.69 per cent, underscoring the sector’s growing importance to the Nigerian economy even as new domestic and international challenges continue to test its resilience.
The minister noted that although the African Union’s agricultural agenda runs from 2026 to 2035, Tinubu had set a more ambitious national target of lifting Nigerians out of poverty by 2030 through inclusive economic growth, improved livelihoods and enhanced food security.
According to him, food security occupies a central place in the country’s development agenda and is recognised in the Constitution, which places agriculture under the shared responsibility of the Federal, State and Local Governments.
Bagudu disclosed that Nigeria has more than 42 million agricultural households, largely made up of smallholder family farmers, whom he described as the backbone of the country’s food production system.
He said improving the productivity and profitability of these farming households was critical to boosting food production, reducing poverty and stimulating economic growth.
“The success of Nigeria’s food system depends on empowering our millions of farming households with the support, technology, financing, and market opportunities they need to produce more efficiently and improve their incomes”, the minister said.
He commended the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, for leading the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme 2026-2035, noting that the continental framework aligns with Nigeria’s long-term objective of building a resilient and inclusive food system.