The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that farmers play an active role in policy formulation, as part of renewed efforts to boost agricultural productivity and strengthen national food security.
The Data Manager, Research and Impact Assessment at the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU), Office of the Vice President, Mr. Eniola Akindele, stated this on Tuesday at Nigeria’s Sustainable Agricultural Value-chains for Growth (AGROW) workshop held in Kano.
Akindele said the administration of President Bola Tinubu is prioritising farmer-driven, market-oriented and results-based agricultural interventions, stressing that policies must be shaped by realities on the ground rather than a top-down approach.
He explained that AGROW focuses on strategic value chains critical to food security and economic development, including rice, wheat, tomato, sesame and sorghum.
“AGROW focuses on strategic value chains including rice, wheat, tomato, sesame and sorghum, which are critical to Nigeria’s food security and economic development,” Akindele said.
According to him, AGROW is a $500 million homegrown initiative led by Nigeria and co-created across the three tiers of government, in partnership with the private sector and development partners, with technical support from the World Bank.
Akindele noted that previous agricultural programmes were undermined by fragmented public spending, blanket input subsidies, government-driven implementation models, opaque land administration systems and multiple informal trade levies.
He said the AGROW framework introduces a new approach centred on state-level agricultural support, financial incentives tied to market outcomes and targeted public investment.
“Other pillars include institutionalised private sector engagement, transparent and secure land administration, as well as efficient and predictable interstate agricultural trade,” he added.
The PFSCU official further explained that the programme is built on three core components: strengthening private sector linkages with smallholder farmers, modernising on-farm production systems, and ensuring effective project coordination, monitoring and evaluation.
He also outlined eligibility requirements for states seeking to participate in AGROW, including sustainable land-based investment processes, digital farmer registries, greater transparency in fees and levies for interstate trade, reduced dependence on input subsidies, and stronger support for agricultural cooperatives.
The workshop, themed “Sustaining Growth, Strengthening Value Chains,” brought together key stakeholders in Nigeria’s agricultural sector to discuss strategies for improving value chains and long-term sector growth.
