Nigeria’s agriculture sector recorded a significant improvement in the second quarter of 2026, growing by 4.39 per cent year-on-year. The highest in four years.
The performance represents a sharp increase from the 2.82 per cent recorded in the corresponding period of 2025. This is according to the minister of Agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari as he called for a joint commitment to sustain the growth pace.
Nigeria’s agricultural sector appears to be gaining momentum, with the latest gross domestic product (GDP) figures showing a 4.39 per cent real-term growth in the second quarter of 2026.
The figure represents a 1.57 percentage point increase over the 2.82 per cent recorded in the second quarter of 2025, and an improvement from the 3.15 per cent recorded in the first quarter of 2026.
Crop production remained the largest component of the sector, recording 3.66 per cent growth, while livestock posted a stronger performance, growing by 6.92 per cent compared with 1.64 per cent in the same quarter of 2025. Forestry grew by 4.88 per cent, while fishing expanded by 2.16 per cent.
The development comes as Nigeria’s overall economy recorded a stronger growth.
The minister of Agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari is pleased with the new development.
Despite the improved performance, challenges remain. Farmers and agribusiness operators continue to contend with high input and transportation costs, insecurity, infrastructure gaps, and difficulties accessing affordable financing.
However, the latest growth figures, therefore, raise another question: How can increased production be converted into higher farmer incomes, greater food availability, and more affordable food for Nigerian households?
The answer could lie in sustaining investment across the entire agricultural value chain, from production and livestock development to storage, processing, transportation, and market access.
With agriculture accounting for more than a quarter of Nigeria’s real GDP, sustaining the sector’s growth could remain critical to the country’s broader economic performance and food system development.
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(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
