The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has outlined ongoing efforts to strengthen domestic food production and reverse food insecurity across the country but identified funding limitations, high input costs and structural bottlenecks as factors working against these plans
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, made this disclosure while presenting the ministry’s 2026 budget proposal before a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Agricultural Production, Services and Rural Development
Senator Abdullahi explained that personnel expenditure under the 2025 appropriation was largely implemented, but capital project execution has been significantly constrained by delayed releases as about 30 per cent of the capital allocation representing roughly 18 billion naira is yet to be released.
The minister disclosed that only funds tied to constituency related projects have seen partial disbursement, with about 19.8 billion naira release, telling lawmakers that the limited capital releases have slowed programme execution and restricted the ministry’s capacity to scale support for farmers and production systems.
For the 2026 fiscal year, Abdullahi said the agricultural sector is projected to receive about 1 trillion naira in total allocation with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security expected to receive approximately 262 billion naira for capital expenditure and about 19.18 billion naira for recurrent costs, including personnel and overheads.
The minister stressed that the most pressing concern confronting farmers remains the rising cost of inputs, driven by broader macroeconomic pressures beyond the ministry’s direct control, citing fertiliser production as a major example which has seen farmers facing a difficult balance between rising production costs and consumer expectations for lower food prices.
The minister called on lawmakers to support policy interventions that will improve access to inputs, support domestic fertiliser production and reduce cost pressures across the agricultural value chain, pointing out that due to poor distribution methods in the past about 7,000 tractors nationwide are not being put to good use
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, Senator Saliu Mustapha and his House counterpart, Bello Ka’oje, warned that reduced funding for the agricultural sector could undermine Nigeria’s food security ambitions and weaken economic recovery efforts if urgent corrective measures are not taken.
According to them, agriculture remains central to national stability, serving as the primary driver of food security, employment generation, poverty reduction and sustainable development, maintaining that the performance of the sector directly affects the welfare of households across the country, particularly under prevailing economic conditions.
The committee chairmen promised a holistic review of the ministry’s performance during the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years and measure this against the allocations contained the 2026 appropriation bill.
(Editor: Anoyoyo Ogiagboviogie)
