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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Nigeria’s agricultural sector is in dire straits, driven by a mix of insecurity, flooding and the improper use of fertiliser and other farm inputs meant to boost yields.
Concerns are also growing over the poor quality control in fertiliser production, with stakeholders warning that many products are not properly tailored to the country’s diverse soil conditions and topography, an issue that has unsettled both farmers and health experts.
Compounding the crisis is the acute shortage of agricultural extension workers, leaving many farmers without adequate training or guidance on the correct and safe application of inputs, flood management and other critical issues worthy of note. These have further weakened productivity and deepened the sector’s challenges.
The federal government has expressed concern that out of Nigeria’s estimated 70 million hectares of arable land, only about 30 million hectares are currently being cultivated. This leaves as much as 40 million hectares either idle or effectively lost to low productivity and other constraints, highlighting the urgent need to improve farming systems and maximise land use efficiency.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari, who raised the alarm recently in Abuja, said stakeholders must come together to address the problem.
Kyari noted that if farmers increase yields but still spend more than the value they gain, then the economic objective is defeated.
To address the problem, the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), has initiated moves to standardise fertiliser use across the country’s farming systems with the introduction of a harmonised fertiliser recommendation manual.
NADF in partnership with the Farm Input Support Services (FISS), said the project would improve crop growth, soil health and fertiliser-use efficiency across the country.
NADF Executive Secretary, Mohammed Ibrahim, described the manual as the first phase of a broader national input application guide covering all crops and farm inputs.
According to him, the project began in April 2025 after stakeholders identified the need for a unified national fertiliser application framework.
Ibrahim said the effort brought together FISS, the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria, OCP Group and the International Fertilizer Development Center to develop scientifically validated fertiliser recommendations tailored to Nigeria’s farming conditions.
“We brainstormed and agreed that different entities should develop a national input application manual covering all inputs and crops, but because fertiliser remains the most commercially important and complex input, we decided to begin with fertiliser recommendations,” Ibrahim said.
He explained that the process involved a series of technical workshops and validations from June 2025 through February 2026 involving research institutes and agricultural stakeholders before an editorial committee finalised the document.
“The first edition covers five strategic crops, maize, rice, wheat, cassava and cowpea, with plans already underway to extend the recommendations to other crops,” he added.
On his part, Editorial Committee and Food Systems and Agricultural Advisory Specialist Chairman, Professor Christogonus Daudu, said the new guide fills a major gap left since the last national fertiliser manual was issued in 2012 by the then Fertiliser Procurement and Distribution Department, now FISS.
Daudu noted that farmers had since operated with limited information on fertiliser rates, application timing and nutrient management, leading to poor yields, inefficient fertiliser use and declining soil quality.
“Farmers were not getting optimum yields, fertiliser-use efficiency remained low and both government and farmers did not receive adequate returns on subsidy investments,” Daudu said.
He added that the manual was designed not only as a technical document but as a practical field guide for extension agents and farmers.
The recommendations were developed using data from major agricultural research institutions, including the Institute for Agricultural Research, Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, National Root Crops Research Institute, National Cereals Research Institute and Lake Chad Research Institute.
Daudu said the manual incorporated fertiliser recommendations across Nigeria’s six agroecological zones and all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Beyond fertiliser rates, it also introduces sustainable soil management principles such as Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM), the “4Rs” of nutrient stewardship, right source, right rate, right time and right place, and deep fertiliser placement technologies aimed at improving nutrient efficiency.
“To make the document usable at farm level, fertiliser rates were converted into bag equivalents rather than kilogrammes, while extension glossaries, nutrient deficiency guides and farmer-friendly language were added.
The editorial committee also recommended translating the guide into major Nigerian languages and deploying digital extension tools such as interactive voice response systems to bridge extension gaps,” he said.
The Minister, earlier, emphasised that fertiliser recommendations must account for cost-benefit considerations and local soil conditions, particularly in degraded landscapes.
He said the manual should be harmonised with ongoing soil health programmes and expanded to address climate-related challenges such as flooding, drought and erratic rainfall patterns.
The manual could become a key instrument in Nigeria’s food security strategy by improving nutrient management, restoring soil fertility and raising yields across major staple crops.
