Writing By BASHIR M; Editing By Yusuf Zubairu
National Agricultural Extension Liaison Services, in partnership with key stakeholder agencies, have reported notable progress based on a survey conducted in September this year regarding Nigeria’s agricultural performance.
The Minister of State, Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi stated this while presenting the summary of the 2024 Nigeria Agric performance survey to newsmen in Abuja
Senator Aliyu Sabi said the report shows an impressive improvement in the use of improved seeds by about 62% of farmers, with most sourcing them from the open market, adding that there has been a significant increase in the participation of young Nigerians in agricultural activities, a notable change from previous years.
He explained that the trend clearly indicated that President Bola Ahmad Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to improve food production in the country was currently yielding positive results.
The Minister further stated that the report showed an increase in mechanized farming through the use of tractors compared to 2023, along with a rise in the average size of cultivated farmland.
Aliyu Sabi also noted that the report highlighted a general rise in production costs per hectare, with maize experiencing the highest increase at 69.7%.
He said the survey also noted a general increase in food commodity prices, with cowpea leading at 300%, while beef and fish both reported a 150% rise.
Minister of State, Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi
According to him, the crop production estimate showed a marginal overall increase, with ginger rising by 30.13%, followed by benniseed at 5.39%, cowpea at 4.31%, and tomato recording a 1.61% increase in 2024.
The Minister, however, highlighted that such surveys may encounter challenges in certain regions, as rainfall conditions showed a significant decline in 2024 compared to 2023, with 33 states experiencing dry spells. “Fortunately, the quick return of precipitation allowed crops to recover from the stress caused by the dry conditions”.
He also mentioned that flood cases were reported in 31 states, with the Northeast being severely affected, leading to the destruction of over 17,000 farmlands and the displacement of 641,500 people.
“However, according to the report, the flood situation was not as devastating as the flooding that occurred in 2022, as stated by the minister.
“Meanwhile, there was a general decrease in post-harvest wastage, particularly among crop commodities. However, wastage of livestock products was highest in the Northwest Zone due to theft, cattle rustling, and other factors.
“Also revealed that states such as Niger, Borno, Anambra, and Cross Rivers reported that thousands of farmers have significantly benefited from the implementation of special agricultural projects. Additionally, the ratio of extension agents to farming families was reported to be 1:6,446”, the Minister explained.
Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi argued that the awareness created by food security initiatives, coupled with high food commodity market prices, had facilitated and motivated Nigerians, particularly the youth, to return to farming activities.
However, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security recommended that there was Need to develop a sustainable long-term strategy for Agric mechanization to depopulate cutlass and hoes/ drudgery in our farming space
Enhanced Agric funding, targeting real farm field actors to improve food production and mitigate current shortage in food supply chain.
Encourage NARIs to focus more on development of climate change resilient crop varieties and e-extension leveraging on ICT (AI) for real time agric extension delivery services and to bridge the gap of EA: farm families ratio. The National Farmers Help Line (NFHL) will be a veritable tool in this respect..
COV/Bashir M
