Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari,..Credit: Collins Agwam.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, says the prices of purchasing essential food commodities have dropped by up to 50 per cent across the country.
The Minister said this on Monday in Maiduguri while declaring open the Community of Practice Meeting of Commissioners for Agriculture, Health, Environment and Rural Development in Borno State.
The meeting was organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in collaboration with the Borno State Government and supported by Germany under the theme, “Stronger Partnerships for a Food Secure Nigeria”.
Addressing participants, Kyari said President Bola Tinubu had placed food security at the centre of the national agenda.
He said, “Our responsibility is to translate that mandate into increased production, greater affordability, stronger rural economies and a more resilient food system.
“We have seen the reduction of up to 50 percent in prices of some essential food commodities, alongside expanded input delivery, investment in rural Infrastructure and support to smallholder farmers he said.
Kyari emphasised that the prices of Items have significantly dropped when compared to what they were prior to 2023.
“Let’s be honest, how much was a bag of rice and maize in 2023, and how much is it now? What is the percentage? Let us not play politics with these things,” he added.
The Minister however noted that the summit will take into account the Kampala Comprehensive, African, Development Program Declaration and its Strategy and Action Plan for 2026–2035.
“The Kampala framework takes a broader agrifood systems approach, with priorities spanning sustainable production, investment and finance, food and nutrition security, trade, inclusion, resilience and stronger governance,” Kyari said.
“For a country of Nigeria’s scale, the choices we make in agriculture have consequences beyond our borders, for regional markets, Africa’s wider agrifood transformation and Nigeria’s place in the global food economy.
“Nigeria has developed and validated a 10-Year National Agrifood System Strategy and Action Plan as the vehicle for domesticating these commitments,” he noted.
He emphasized that the summit provides an important sub-national mechanism for taking that declaration into implementation.
“I therefore urge our deliberations here in Borno to focus firmly on implementation. States should leave this meeting clearer on how their action plans will advance the Kampala commitments and align with national priorities across rural infrastructure, extension, credit and quality inputs, labour-saving technologies, post-harvest loss reduction and climate-resilient agriculture,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy in Nigeria, Dr Karin Jansen, assured that Germany will continue to support Nigeria through strengthening of agricultural policy processes, scaling successful approaches and strengthening civil society participation.
“Through the Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Policies project – AgSys, German Development Cooperation supports Nigerian partners in strengthening agricultural policy processes, scaling successful approaches and strengthening civil society participation.
“Our aim is simple: to strengthen existing structures and help turn national commitments into action where it matters most. Ultimately, the success of the Kampala Agenda will be measured by the results it delivers: better policies, stronger institutions, effective investments and tangible improvements in people’s lives,” she stressed.
