Nigeria’s agricultural sector recorded regular progress through the 2025 moist season, with elevated manufacturing throughout main meals crops and a normal decline in market costs, in keeping with the newest Agricultural Efficiency Survey (APS) performed by the Nationwide Agricultural Extension and Analysis Liaison Companies (NAERLS), Ahmadu Bello College, Zaria.
The survey, launched in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Meals Safety (FMAFS) and 22 accomplice businesses on Tuesday in Abuja, exhibits that rice, maize, sorghum, millet, cowpea, yam, and cassava all posted increased outputs in comparison with 2024.
“The 2025 APS confirms regular progress in Nigerian agriculture, pushed by expanded cultivated areas, improved practices, and farmer resilience throughout main producing states,”stated Yusuf Sani Ahmad, Government Director, NAERLS.
The examine additionally discovered that meals costs fell sharply throughout all six geopolitical zones, with maize, rice, and sorghum costs dropping by greater than 50 p.c nationally, reflecting improved meals availability.
Nonetheless, the sector continues to face challenges from local weather shocks, flooding, and rising enter prices. Fertilizer costs rose by practically 20 p.c on common, whereas floods in Niger, Jigawa, and several other southern states destroyed crops and infrastructure.
Regardless of these setbacks, the report highlights improved mechanization knowledge, with over 1,600 purposeful tractors recorded nationwide and new datasets from a Farm Household Census and Tractor Census launched to boost planning.
The livestock and fisheries sub-sectors confirmed blended efficiency. Poultry and pig farmers confronted outbreaks of Newcastle Illness and African Swine Fever, whereas fish manufacturing fell in some northern zones resulting from insecurity and flooding.
In his remarks through the report presentation, Abubakar Kyari, minister of agriculture and meals safety, stated the findings would assist authorities refine its insurance policies to spice up meals and diet safety.
“This report supplies the proof base we have to plan smarter, assist our farmers higher, and obtain nationwide meals sufficiency,” the Minister said.
In line with the Minister, the 2025 APS recorded elevated manufacturing of rice, maize, sorghum, millet, cowpea, yam, and cassava in comparison with 2024 ranges, alongside a “important drop in meals costs throughout all zones.” He attributed the development to cumulative authorities efforts in boosting enter provide, mechanization, and farmer assist techniques, regardless of challenges reminiscent of erratic rainfall, flooding, and pest outbreaks.
Kyari, nevertheless, cautioned that rising enter prices, notably for fertilizer and gasoline, in addition to uneven mechanization protection and chronic postharvest losses, stay critical constraints to productiveness.
He additionally highlighted livestock illness outbreaks and a decline in fisheries manufacturing in some areas as areas requiring pressing intervention.
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“The APS findings current each encouraging progress and demanding challenges,” the Minister stated. “As a Ministry, we view these findings not merely as statistics however as a compass for future motion.”
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The report concluded with key suggestions, together with the institutionalisation of a Dry Season Agricultural Survey, scaling up climate-smart agriculture, making certain reasonably priced farm inputs, increasing mechanization, and strengthening extension and veterinary techniques.
“Nigeria’s farmers have proven outstanding resilience,” Ahmad added. “Our activity now could be to construct on these beneficial properties and make agriculture extra adaptive, environment friendly, and data-driven.”
