The Federal Government has said prices of some essential food commodities have dropped by up to 50 per cent as it intensifies efforts to strengthen food security, with Germany supporting Nigeria’s agrifood systems transformation agenda.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, disclosed this on Monday in Maiduguri while declaring open the Community of Practice Meeting of Commissioners for Agriculture, Health, Environment and Rural Development in Borno State.
The meeting was organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in collaboration with the Borno State Government and supported by Germany under the theme, ‘Stronger Partnerships for a Food Secure Nigeria’.
Kyari said President Bola Tinubu had placed food security at the centre of the national agenda, with measures aimed at increasing production, improving affordability and strengthening rural economies.
He said the government had expanded input delivery, rural infrastructure and support for smallholder farmers as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s food system.
Kyari said early procurement under the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative had generated N61.58 billion in savings, with Nigeria on course for a 1.1 million metric-tonne fertiliser programme in 2026.
The minister said the government had also unveiled the National Agricultural Mechanisation Policy and National Agricultural Mechanisation Investment Strategy to establish a sustainable mechanisation ecosystem.
He said plans included a mega tractor assembly plant with a capacity to produce between 2,000 and 4,000 tractors annually.
Kyari said the government was expanding all-season production through irrigation, quality seeds and support for National Agricultural Research Institutes, while Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones would link production to processing and markets.
He urged states to align their agricultural action plans with national priorities, including rural infrastructure, extension services, credit and inputs, labour-saving technologies, post-harvest loss reduction and climate-resilient agriculture.
He also called for stronger participation of women and youths in agriculture, alongside increased private investment and development finance.
Kyari expressed condolences to the families of 15 farmers reportedly killed in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, adding that three others were still missing.
Also speaking, Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, said agriculture must move beyond subsistence to become a major driver of employment, wealth creation and sustainable development.
Zulum said farmers must be empowered with the knowledge, inputs, technology, access to finance, markets and infrastructure needed to make agriculture a profitable and dignified enterprise.
He commended the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, ActionAid, GIZ, AGRA and other institutions and partners involved in organising the summit for their commitment to strengthening collaboration and promoting practical solutions to development challenges.
Zulum stressed the need for government, development partners, civil society organisations, private-sector actors, researchers, farmers’ organisations and communities to work together, saying the Community of Practice should turn experience into knowledge, knowledge into action, and action into measurable improvements in people’s lives.