The Federal Government has announced a reduction in food prices across the country, attributing it to a steady increase in local crop production.
According to the 2025 Agricultural Performance Survey Report, the nation is currently experiencing lower food prices and a significant rise in the production of major crops.
In a press statement on Wednesday, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, stated that the report records steady growth in the production of staples such as rice, maize, sorghum, millet, cowpea, yam, and cassava — representing a marked increase compared to 2024.
He noted that, with the Federal Government’s interventions in input support, extension service delivery, and mechanization, there has been a notable decline in food prices nationwide as well as continuous improvement in supply conditions.
Kyari commended the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), Ahmadu Bello University, and the ministry’s technical departments for their roles, describing the development as a new benchmark for excellence and transparency in national agricultural performance reporting.
He described the survey as an essential tool for evidence-based planning, monitoring, and policymaking in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, explaining that it provides a framework for analyzing production outcomes, sectoral constraints, and farmer experiences to guide future interventions.
“The rigour of data collection across all 36 states and the FCT, the integration of new datasets such as the farm family census and tractor census, and complementary studies on commodity prices demonstrate a new standard of excellence and transparency in national agricultural performance reporting,” Kyari said.
He expressed satisfaction with the resilience of farmers nationwide, exemplifying fortitude despite torrential rains, widespread flooding, and pest attacks.
Kyari identified rising input costs and weak post-harvest infrastructure as major challenges, noting that higher prices of fertilizers and fuel have limited productivity among smallholder farmers. He also pointed out that uneven mechanization coverage and post-harvest losses in the South-West and North-Central zones threaten food availability and farmers’ income.
The minister called for stronger action to improve animal health systems and aquaculture development, to curb livestock disease outbreaks and declining fishery yields, as well as enhanced measures to address climate variability.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to data-driven agricultural planning, Kyari announced plans to formalize a Dry-Season Agricultural Performance Survey to complement the wet-season exercise.
“We shall institutionalize the Dry-Season Agricultural Performance Survey as a complement to the Wet-Season APS, ensuring that national agricultural planning becomes a year-round, data-driven exercise,” he stated.
Kyari further revealed that the ministry will intensify support for local fertilizer production, enhance climate-smart agricultural initiatives, and strengthen extension services by recruiting and equipping more agents while leveraging digital tools to reach more farmers.
On mechanization and inclusion, he emphasized the need to empower young people and women through technology and post-harvest infrastructure.
“We recognize the urgency of modernizing mechanization services, promoting the participation of youths and women through affordable, labour-saving technologies, and investing in post-harvest handling, storage, and processing facilities to minimize losses and boost value addition,” he said.
Kyari also urged the private sector, research institutions, and subnational governments to collaborate with the federal government to accelerate growth in the agricultural sector.
By Miracle Chidinma Amaechi
