The Federal Government has unveiled a series of reforms and financing initiatives aimed at fast-tracking Nigeria’s path to food sovereignty and agricultural transformation, including the recapitalisation of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) with ₦1.5 trillion and a ₦250 billion credit window for smallholder farmers.

Speaking at the 47th National Council on Agriculture and Food Security (NCAFS), tagged “Food Sovereignty and Food Security in an Era of Renewed Hope,” in Kaduna, Abubakar Kyari, minister of Agriculture and Food Security, said the financing push marks “a decisive step in repositioning agricultural finance as the anchor of national food production.”

“Mr. President’s charge remains clear: our farmers must transition from hoes and cutlasses to tractors and harvesters. Food sufficiency is the first currency of national stability,” Kyari said, quoting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Minister said the government’s intervention agenda—covering input delivery, mechanisation, post-harvest management, and market access—aligns with Nigeria Vision 2050, the National Development Plan (2021–2025) and the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP).

Kyari disclosed that the National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP), supported by the African Development Bank, is expanding nationwide. Wheat production has grown from 15 states in 2023/24 to broader coverage in the 2024/25 season, aided by breakthroughs in rainfed wheat cultivation in Plateau, Taraba and Cross River states.

“This innovation brings Nigeria closer to meeting national demand from within,” he noted.

To curb post-harvest losses estimated at $10 billion annually, the ministry has launched the Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation Programme (NiPHaST) in partnership with AGRA.

The programme dedicates 85 percent of its interventions to smallholders via affordable storage technologies, 10 percent to cooperative-level processing hubs, and 5 percent to upgrading national silos through public-private partnerships.

Kyari added that the BOA, in partnership with Heifer Nigeria, will implement the Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme, providing access to tractors, maintenance services and training through six zonal mechanisation hubs.

The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) has also been operationalised to expand investments in value chains, rural infrastructure and agribusiness ventures.

In his remarks, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, said climate-smart agriculture is central to Nigeria’s production strategy.

“We are developing climate-resilient crops, integrated soil-crop systems and pest management strategies,” he said.

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Abdullahi highlighted the Dry Season Initiative covering 500,000 hectares, the ‘Every Home a Garden’ campaign of First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, the Nigerian Farmers’ Soil Health Scheme, and the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, aimed at boosting inclusion and financing.

He said these measures would help Nigeria reduce imports, strengthen market confidence and position itself as a leading food supplier in West Africa.“Our goal is simple—no Nigerian should go to bed hungry,” Abdullahi added.

Earlier, Marcus Ogunbiyi, permanent secretary of the ministry, described the Council as Nigeria’s foremost policy forum for agricultural coordination, adding that food sovereignty “goes beyond availability; it is about our collective capacity to produce, process and distribute food sustainably.”

“We are called upon to build a food system that not only feeds our people but restores confidence, dignity and prosperity to rural communities,” he said.

The 47th NCSFS brought together federal and state officials, development partners and agribusiness stakeholders to chart a unified path toward agricultural self-sufficiency.