Nigeria’s annual wheat production has increased from about 120,000 metric tonnes to 420,000 metric tonnes following the implementation of the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP), the Federal Government has said.
The increase represents a 250% rise in output from the reported baseline, according to Prof. Ademola Adenle, Senior Special Adviser on Agriculture and Innovation to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security.
Adenle disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
NAGS-AP is a flagship Federal Government programme designed to improve food production by providing subsidised agricultural inputs to smallholder farmers through agro-dealers.
Adenle said access to critical farm inputs, including fertilisers, improved seeds, chemicals and extension services, had been central to efforts to increase agricultural productivity.
He said the programme had contributed to significant increases in the output of several crops, with wheat recording one of the most notable improvements.
According to him, annual wheat production has risen from the previous baseline of 120,000 tonnes to about 420,000 tonnes.
However, the movement from 120,000 tonnes to 420,000 tonnes represents a 250% increase, although 420,000 tonnes is 3.5 times the previous production level. A 300% increase would imply production of about 480,000 tonnes.
Despite the improvement in output, Adenle said low agricultural productivity remained a major challenge, pointing to Nigeria’s land administration system as one of the structural constraints facing farmers.
He said the government planned to address issues associated with the Land Use Act, which dates back to 1978 and gives state governments significant control over land.
According to him, the existing framework has contributed to difficulties in accessing farmland, particularly for smallholder farmers.
He said many smallholder farmers cultivate between 0.5 and two hectares, limiting their ability to expand production and benefit from economies of scale.
The planned reforms, he added, would seek to address these constraints and improve farmers’ access to productive land.
Adenle said the planned reforms would cover different parts of the agricultural value chain, including production, processing, distribution and marketing.
He said the objective was to improve productivity while increasing farmers’ incomes.
The government’s planned agricultural reforms will therefore be critical to determining whether the recent increase in wheat output can be sustained and extended to other crops.
