The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) has begun a comprehensive review of its Farm Input Supply Programme, engaging agro-processors and key stakeholders to strengthen delivery ahead of the upcoming farming season.
The engagement, held simultaneously in Lagos and Kano States, brought together agro-processors from southern and northern Nigeria, reflecting the programme’s national scope and its role in supporting farmers across diverse agro-ecological zones.
Representing the Executive Secretary of NADF were Mohammed Ibrahim, Mr Abiodun Sosanya, General Manager of Corporate Services in Lagos, and Mr Nasir Ingawa, General Manager of Partnerships and Investor Relations in Kano.
They reiterated that the programme was created to address one of Nigerian agriculture’s most persistent challenges: limited and inconsistent access to quality farm inputs.
According to Ibrahim, the NADF–Farm Input Supply Programme is a strategic intervention aimed at improving farmers’ access to essential inputs, boosting productivity and strengthening rural livelihoods through structured out-grower systems.
He noted that while the pilot phase had recorded progress, it also revealed operational gaps that needed tobe addressed.
Implementation challenges, including logistics delays and climate-related disruptions, were identified as key constraints during the pilot.
Ibrahim acknowledged that climate variability continues to complicate agricultural planning but stressed that these lessons would guide improvements in coordination, timelines and quality assurance in the next phase.
Agro-processors at the roundtable welcomed the programme’s subsidy framework and its focus on productivity.
However, they raised concerns over logistics bottlenecks, shifting import policies and declining commodity prices, warning that these pressures could undermine farmer incomes, youth participation and loan repayment capacity.
Participants called for stronger stakeholder engagement, more precise policy alignment and climate-smart planning to ensure the programme delivers sustainable outcomes for both farmers and processors.
NADF assured stakeholders that insights from the engagement would directly inform a more efficient, transparent and climate-responsive second phase of the Farm Input Supply Programme, reinforcing its contribution to youth employment, sustainable livelihoods and national food security.
Source: NADF
