Agric scheme records 2.5m metric tons produce in four seasons – FG

<strong>The Federal Government says the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP) has recorded a total of 2,536,184 metric tons of produce during the four seasons of its implementation.

Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, Minister of State for Agriculture, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), announced this on Thursday at the NAGS-AP project stakeholders workshop on the Modified Implementation Framework in Abuja.

The workshop was organised by NAGS-AP in collaboration with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA).

Abdullahi identified the phases as the 2023–2024 dry season wheat farming, 2023–2024 dry season rice, 2024 wet season rice, maize, soybeans, millet and cassava, and 2024–2025 dry season wheat.

He said the total value of the produce was estimated at N2,312,746,400,000.

He explained that the milestone achievement contributed substantially to increased food availability and the stabilisation of food prices in the country.

“Currently, food prices are declining, and efforts are being made to address the high cost of agricultural inputs to balance input and output costs,” he said.

Abdullahi said the meeting was intended to review past activities of the project, examine its strengths and weaknesses, and identify areas that require modification for improved efficiency and impact.

“The stakeholders’ gathering is to objectively assess what has been done and to chart a better path forward,” he added.

He recalled that President Bola Tinubu, under the Agricultural Renewed Hope Agenda, declared a state of Emergency on Food and Nutrition Security to prioritise agriculture and ensure sufficient, accessible, and affordable food for all citizens.

The minister noted that the NAGS-AP project focused on six staple crops: wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, soybean, and cassava, as part of the Food Security Emergency Support programme.

He said the initiative aimed to bridge food supply gaps and guarantee national food and nutrition security.

Abdullahi assured that the administration remains committed to supporting the agricultural sector, particularly externally funded projects with clearly defined objectives and targets.

He said the two-day workshop would present new concepts, ideas, and innovations for stakeholders’ consideration and potential adoption.

“The discussions will follow careful alignment between the NAGS-AP Project and the Bank of Agriculture, in line with directives from President Tinubu.

“This alignment is aimed at developing a new implementation framework and operational strategies that will stand the test of time and include all relevant stakeholders to deliver verifiable results,” he said.

Abdullahi added that NAGS-AP is making arrangements to commence the implementation of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) project and the National Agricultural Growth Scheme (NAGS 2.0) programme.

He said the JICA loan project will focus on rice, maize, soybean, and cassava, while NAGS 2.0 will cover wheat and rice production starting from the 2026 wet season.

“Under the 2025–2026 dry season, the project will focus on rice, maize, and cassava across all 36 states and the FCT”.

Earlier, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, Permanent Secretary, FMAFS, said the meeting was aimed at examining past project implementation, identifying bottlenecks, and developing new strategies to address challenges.

Represented by Ibrahim Tanimu, Director of Planning and Policy Coordination, he said stakeholders were expected to review the proposed implementation framework, including an integrated flow chart driven through an ICT platform.

Mr Ishaku Buba, National Project Coordinator, NAGS-AP, said the project provides farmers with critical farm inputs, institutional support, and agricultural extension services to boost productivity and sustainability.

“Fertiliser and seed quality control officers will also be deployed to ensure the supply of guaranteed quality inputs to farmers for maximum benefits,” he said.