The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, has said it was time to transform agriculture from subsistence to a viable business for farmers.
Henzodaily reports that Kyari said the federal government was committed to moving agriculture from stomach-only purpose to stomach and pocket-driven.
In a series of tweets on his X handle, the Minister stated that investments were being made in productivity, value addition and agribusiness to empower farmers, create jobs and build a prosperous Nigeria.
“It’s time to move from ‘Agriculture for the Stomach’ to ‘Agriculture for the Stomach and Pocket’.
Agriculture should not just be about survival—it must be a driver of wealth and economic growth. We are investing in productivity, value addition, and agribusiness so that we can empower farmers, create jobs, and build a more prosperous Nigeria,” he said.
Giving details of the federal government’s dry season farming support, Kyari disclosed that 300,000 farmers were supported in wheat dry season farming in 2024.
“We supported 300,000 farmers in the dry season Wheat farming which was concluded in December 2024, including a 50% subsidy on fertilizers and a 75% subsidy on seeds, resulting in a 98% redemption rate,” he stated.
According to him, the government targets to support 400,000 rice farmers in 2025 wet and dry season farming programme.
“For the second phase dry season rice farming, we are targeting atleast 400,000 farmers across irrigated lands. The 400,000 farmers target includes wet season rice farming in the Southern region,” he added.