The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has announced a series of agricultural reforms designed to improve food security, increase local food production, and reduce Nigeria’s reliance on food imports.

Speaking in Maiduguri on Sunday, the minister said the reforms are a key part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which focuses on making food more available, affordable, and accessible to all Nigerians.

Kyari highlighted that insecurity, flooding, and climate change have disrupted food production recently. 

The federal government has launched targeted initiatives such as a national wheat farming programme to reduce Nigeria’s annual import of over six million tonnes of wheat.

“We’ve now begun wheat production across more states, and Cross River is the first in the South to join,” he noted.

The minister also cited recent progress in rice production, thanks to the government’s support in providing fertilisers and farming inputs. 

According to him, these interventions produced over 58,000 tonnes of rice, some of which was distributed to states affected by flooding.

He stressed the importance of balancing the interests of food producers and consumers, noting that although 80% of the country’s food is grown by local farmers, many Nigerians still struggle to afford it.

“Our goal is to ensure every Nigerian can afford to eat,” Kyari said.

With Nigeria’s population expected to hit 400 million by 2050, the minister emphasised the need to mechanise agriculture and engage more youth in the sector. 

He urged farmers to use government-provided machinery responsibly and warned against hoarding or misuse.

Kyari also revealed that Nigeria has entered bilateral partnerships with countries like Brazil and Belarus to boost local capacity in food preservation, processing, and aggregation, as well as efforts to reduce post-harvest losses and improve overall productivity.

On the issue of food storage, he acknowledged that while Nigeria has multiple silo complexes, only three are currently operational. 

The ministry, he said, is working to revive and expand storage infrastructure in collaboration with stakeholders.

“We are laying the foundation for long-term food security,” Kyari stated. “These reforms are not just for today, they are about ensuring that Nigeria can feed itself tomorrow.”