Nigeria's New Agricultural Policy to Stabilize Food Prices

The Nigerian government, represented by Stella Oduem, has introduced a comprehensive mix of short, medium, and long-term agricultural policies aimed at stabilizing food prices and boosting local agricultural production. The initiative, highlighted during a recent policy dialogue, focuses on addressing food inflation and supply constraints.

Key strategies include reducing import tariffs on agricultural inputs and providing targeted interventions to support domestic production, particularly for farm inputs and agro-processing. Moham Ibrahim noted that food inflation has dropped from 25% to 14% over the past year, although high input costs remain a challenge.

The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) plays a central role in financing policy implementation, supporting thousands of farmers nationwide through various initiatives. Plans include scaling fertilizer distribution to reach 127,000 farmers across 25 states by 2026, with significant investments in ginger production in Kaduna and rice cultivation in Niger State.

The government aims to achieve long-term food sovereignty through these measures.