FG calls for export-focused agriculture to accelerate economic diversification

The Federal Government has called on Nigerian farmers to spearhead an agricultural revolution by focusing on local processing and export-oriented production to accelerate economic diversification.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Benjamin Kalu, made the call in Abuja while delivering the opening address at the General Assembly of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).

Kalu said the administration of President Bola Tinubu, under the Renewed Hope Agenda, had prioritised agriculture as a strategic sector to achieve food security and economic growth. He noted that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s 2026 Macroeconomic Outlook projected agricultural GDP growth of between 3.5 per cent and 4.5 per cent, driven by increased investment in inputs, extension services and post-harvest infrastructure.

According to him, such growth would only be meaningful if it was inclusive and lifted millions of smallholder farmers out of subsistence farming.

“The challenge is not just to grow agriculture, but to grow it inclusively,” Kalu said.

He explained that reforms such as the removal of fuel subsidies, the declaration of a state of emergency on food security, and the implementation of the Agricultural Promotion Policy and the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative were beginning to deliver results across major production zones.

Kalu stressed that productivity gains among over 40 million smallholder farmers would be central to Nigeria’s agricultural transformation, noting that modest yield improvements at the smallholder level could have a greater impact on national output, employment and rural economies than large-scale operations alone.

He also highlighted Nigeria’s weak performance in agricultural exports, observing that the country earns about three billion dollars annually from largely unprocessed commodities such as cocoa, cashew and sesame, far below the earnings of comparable countries.

“We export raw cocoa, not chocolate; unprocessed cashew, not finished products; sesame seeds, not sesame oil,” he said.

Kalu said prioritising value addition and export diversification could generate millions of jobs and earn more than 10 billion dollars in foreign exchange within five years. He urged farmers to invest in processing and export-quality production, assuring them of policy and partnership support, while calling on state governments to dedicate at least five per cent of their budgets to agricultural infrastructure.

Earlier, AFAN National President, Dr Farouk Rabiu-Mudi, said the Assembly, themed “Empowering Farmers, Fostering Collaboration,” was aimed at strengthening cooperation among farmers, government, the private sector and development partners.

Rabiu-Mudi identified key challenges in the sector, including weak institutional coordination, limited access to finance and inputs, inadequate extension services and low adoption of innovation. He said the Assembly was designed to reposition farmers at the centre of Nigeria’s agricultural transformation.

The three-day gathering also featured the presentation of an award to the Deputy Speaker in recognition of his contributions to agricultural development in Nigeria.