The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Senator Abubakar Kyari said Tuesday that the 2024 farming season was very successful.
The minister said this while briefing State House correspondents on the activities of the ministry in Abuja.
He said a bountiful harvest, abundant rains and efficient government initiatives are behind the recent decline in food costs.
“The 2024 farming season was very successful, with farmers across the country recording high yields.
“The government is working to sustain this progress by supporting wheat farming in highland areas like Taraba state and providing modern farming tools to farmers,” he said.
He said new available farmlands in areas that had previously been hampered by instability were responsible for a large portion of the agricultural improvements observed in 2024.
“We have seen, and we know, that some of the successes that we received in 2024 were a result of some of those inaccessible lands due to insecurity that opened up. Case in point is Bono state, where the terrorism was very high.
“My local government before now was not even accessible to farmers, but there is one place where, along the river as long as 18 kilometres, they did a bumper harvest of rice in the dry season last year.
“In many other areas, Katsina state has reported an improvement of almost 70 per cent in security that has opened up farmland for our farmers,” he said.
He said the federal government was working to bring down the nation’s food commodity prices, stressing that new policies have been adopted to make farming easier.
The minister said advanced technologies, including the use of drones, would also be implemented during the upcoming growing season.
“We have started taking delivery of the 2000 tractors we ordered from Belarus which will be distributed to farmers, the government will also be focusing on increasing tomato farming in the South-East and South-West, with harvests expected by May.
“For the dry season, we are planning to cultivate at least 400,000 more hectares of farmland and fertilizer supplies are being improved to help farmers boost their output.
“The government is committed to supporting farmers with the resources they need to produce more food and reduce the cost of living,” he said.
He said Nigeria’s agricultural industry is becoming more robust and will keep getting better in 2025.
He said development partners are becoming more optimistic about Nigeria’s agriculture industry.
“With improved farming practices, better tools, and increased production, Nigeria is becoming a stronger player in agriculture, attracting more support and partnerships from global organisations.
“The government will continue to build on this momentum to further boost the sector and strengthen food security in the country,” he said.
He said cold storage and better logistics are two ways the government is tackling post-harvest losses.
