By Doris Esa
The Federal Government has attributed the recent drop in food prices across the country to increased local production, targeted interventions, and the commencement of the harvest season.
Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, made this known in Abuja on the sidelines of activities to mark the 2025 World Food Day.
Abdullahi said the government’s flagship agricultural programmes, including the National Agricultural Growth Scheme (NAGS) Agro-Pocket, were yielding results through enhanced production and farmer support.
“The National Agricultural Growth Scheme is a flagship programme designed to boost agricultural production, enhance food security, improve farmers’ livelihoods, and promote sustainable practices,” he said.
The minister explained that since 2023, the Federal Government had embarked on large-scale production through the NAGS Agro-Pocket programme.
“We injected almost 500,000 metric tonnes or more of wheat, as well as maize, cassava, and other key commodities. This ramped-up production is what’s responsible for the drop in food prices,” he said.
Abdullahi said the Agro-Pocket component leverages digital technologies to streamline agricultural input subsidies and enable seamless digital transactions for farmers.
He noted that the initiative, supported by the African Development Bank and the Federal Government, was designed to make a significant impact on the lives of Nigerian farmers.
The minister also linked the price decline to the ongoing harvest season, which traditionally ushers in a period of food abundance.
“We are now in the harvest period, starting from the southern parts of the country to the central and northern regions. During this period, food prices will continue to fall,” he said.
Abdullahi added that the ministry had developed short-term plans to make farm inputs more accessible and affordable in response to the challenges faced by smallholder farmers.
“In line with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to ease economic hardship, we are supporting smallholder farmers in all the states of the federation and the FCT with vital farm implements and inputs,” he said.
According to him, the inputs would be provided free of charge and distributed through Agricultural Commodity Associations, Farmers’ Cooperative Groups, Internally Displaced Persons, women, youths, and farmers with special needs.
“These inputs are part of our commitment to boosting food production and enhancing farmers’ productivity nationwide,” he said.
Abdullahi further said the Federal Government had intensified investments in agriculture through the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Initiative to empower smallholder farmers and strengthen food and nutrition security.
He commended state governments for contributing to national food reserves through buffer stock initiatives and free input distribution to farmers, which help reduce production costs.
“Let us continue to advocate for policies and initiatives that will provide short, medium, and long-term solutions to address hunger, food waste, and promote sustainable farming practices,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Tosin Kolade
