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•Farmers lament N15trn import losses •FG bolsters local production
From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Nigeria’s agriculture sector is facing a twin blight of climate shocks and worsening insecurity, with farmers declaring that the two crises are steadily eroding local agricultural production and forcing the country to spend an estimated N15 trillion annually on food imports.
According to them, the fading harmattan season and heavy reliance on food imports are issues that must be urgently tackled to save the country and end the food insufficiency nightmare.
Added to these is the rising cost of inputs and transportation which is retarding the country’s momentum in achieving food sovereignty.
These concerns were highlighted at the recent General Assembly of Farmers in Abuja, where the President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Dr. Farouk Mudi, described the changing climate as a growing threat to traditional farming cycles.
Mudi said the delay in rainfall and flooding were affecting productivity, suggesting that stronger policies and investments were needed to secure the future of farming in Nigeria.
He recalled that in 2025, 500,000 hectares of rice and maize were submerged. Two years ago, he said a bag of NPK fertiliser was N26,000; but, it is now over N53,000.
He said: “We are witnessing the ‘vanishing harmattan’ and erratic rainfall patterns. In the last year, the onset of rains in the Savannah belt was delayed by nearly 21 days, followed by flash floods that decimated over 500,000 hectares of rice and maize.
“Two years ago, a bag of NPK fertiliser was N26,000; today, it is over N53,000. The cost of high-quality agrochemicals has risen by 300%.
“Farming is becoming too expensive for the very people who must provide the food. We must address the elephant in the room: our Livestock sector is described as Crisis Beyond the Narrative.
“Nigeria is a livestock powerhouse with 21 million cattle, 43 million sheep, and 82 million goats. Yet, we spend $1.5 billion (N2.2 trillion) annually importing milk and dairy products. This is because our livestock sector is trapped in a cycle of conflict.”
According to him, AFAN lost over 10,000 lives and N500bn properties to farmer-herder clashes in the last 10 years.
“In the last decade, we have lost over 10,000 lives and N500 billion in property to farmer-herder clashes.
“We have lost over 3 million cattle to rustling and unplanned migration. AFAN stands firmly behind the National Livestock Transformation Plan.
“We want our herders to become modern agribusiness men in settled ranches, and our farmers to work their fields without fear.
“Security is the first input of agriculture. Every year, Nigeria bleeds $10 billion (over N15 trillion) to import food items like wheat, sugar, and fish. This is money that should be in the pockets of the farmers sitting in this room. For instance, we import over 5 million metric tons of wheat annually, and we import 90% of our sugar needs,” he said.
He pointed out that agriculture was once a core part of Nigeria’s educational system and rural economy, providing skills, employment and food for the population.
“Over time, reduced emphasis on practical agriculture in schools, coupled with dependence on food imports, insecurity and climate challenges, has weakened local food production and discouraged young people from entering the sector,” he said.
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However, the Federal Government, through the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, as a way out of the challenges, called for the reintroduction of agriculture in schools as a core part of national efforts to strengthen food security and economic stability.
Shettima, represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Uju Rochas-Anwukah, contended that agriculture should return to schools not only as an academic subject but as a culture that shapes the mindset of young Nigerians.
He said schools, but private and public should wake up to their responsibilities by reintroducing agriculture clubs, adding that they should teach students the value of food production, land use and agribusiness.
“Agriculture must return to our schools. We must reintroduce agriculture as a culture, not just a curriculum.
“Every school should have functional farms. Agriculture clubs must return—not only to teach planting, but to shape the mindset.
“Our Children must grow up knowing that food is wealth, our children must know that land is power, that farming is business, and that agriculture is not punishment, but it is a possibility.
“Because the fundamentals of life—food, shelter, clothing—begin from the soil. And no nation industrialises without first securing its agricultural foundation.”
Shettima, also, complained about the myth that farming was meant for people with a low-status occupation. He regretted that a narrative was detrimental to the country’s food system and economic development.
The vice president implored the youths, community leaders and institutions Army, Air Force, Navy, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and other paramilitary agencies to sustain institutional farms.
“For too long in our dear nation, farming has been treated as a last option—a job for those who ‘could not make it. That thinking is not just wrong; it is destructive. It is a lie that has cost Nigeria food security, jobs, stability, and national pride.
“Farming is not a low-status profession. Farming is a nation-building profession. Leadership must farm.
“Leadership cannot continue to govern agriculture from conference rooms alone. Those who lead must be directly invested in productive farming—not as symbolism, but as responsibility.
“Our national institutions—the Army, Air Force, Navy, NYSC, and paramilitary agencies—must sustain institutional farms. Not as charity,” he said.
On his part, Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd), regretted that most farmers still encounter security challenges.
He, however, assured them of the government’s commitment to improving safety in agrarian communities and beyond.
Musa tasked farmers to report security threats, stressing that protecting farmers was essential to national food production.
In addition, the Director General of international Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Simeon Ehui, stated that the organization would provide research and technical expertise, training, soil testing support, and monitoring frameworks to ensure measurable outcomes.
“The real test of this MoU will be results-improved soil health systems, higher fertilizer use efficiency, stronger national capacity and accelerated progress towards food security,” he added.
