Nigeria’s agricultural sector is under mounting pressure as import bills surged to ₦2.22 trillion in the first half of 2025, sparking a wave of criticism from farmers and industry stakeholders. They say that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to reduce food prices cannot address the structural challenges threatening local production.
On September 11, 2025, President Tinubu ordered a Federal Executive Council (FEC) committee to enforce a nationwide food price crash. The announcement was made public by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sabi Abdullahi, during a workshop in Abuja.
Abdullahi explained that the directive would ease transportation hurdles and ensure safe passage for food commodities nationwide. “I can say it on good authority to you that the President has given a matching order to a Federal Executive Council committee already handling it,” he said.
Stakeholders Question Feasibility
Farmers and rice millers argue that the policy is unrealistic. Kabir Ibrahim, President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), insisted that market forces cannot be overridden by fiat.
“The cost of food will go down if transport costs go down, but that alone is not enough. Our farmers are complaining that the prices are so low that they cannot buy fertiliser. The importation has dealt with our farmers,” he said.
Echoing the same sentiment, Peter Dama, Chairman of the Competitive African Rice Forum, described the directive as counterproductive.
“The President is dealing with private organisations and companies. You don’t just come out and give an order to crash prices. It doesn’t work that way. At best, the government should have called stakeholders in the transport and agric sectors, discussed with them, and provided subsidies,” Dama explained.
Stalled Mechanisation
Stakeholders also expressed anger over the Federal Government’s delay in distributing the 2,000 tractors unveiled in July 2024 to boost mechanisation. Over a year later, the equipment remains unused.
“The tractors have not been distributed yet. They were launched in July, but up to now, no modalities have been given. We need them to support human labour with machine power,” Ibrahim lamented.
Purchasing Power at the Heart of the Crisis
Experts argue that Nigerians’ dwindling purchasing power is worsening food insecurity. Ibrahim noted:
“What we are telling the government is that it is the purchasing power of the Naira that is causing problems. Even if food prices fall, people don’t have the money to buy. That’s why you are not seeing any impact.”
Imports Continue to Rise
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that agricultural imports rose from ₦1.04 trillion in Q1 2025 to ₦1.18 trillion in Q2 2025, a sharp 32.6% increase year-on-year compared with Q2 2024. The surge has been linked to the 180-day duty-free window introduced in July 2024, which allowed firms to import key staples tariff-free.
AFAN’s Ibrahim warned that the policy has left silos and warehouses overflowing while local producers are forced out of business. “Our farmers are not happy; they are not even back to their farms now because maize prices have collapsed,” he said.
Call for Strategic Reform
Experts maintain that subsidies, infrastructure investment, and effective stakeholder engagement remain the only way forward.
“Yes, reducing transport costs will bring some relief,” Dama admitted. “But the government must also engage rice millers, farmers, and private investors. Import licences should not replace real investment in local production.”
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