Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, has said prices of some essential food commodities in Nigeria have fallen by as much as 50 per cent compared with their levels before 2023.
Kyari made the claim on Monday, October 5, 2026, in Maiduguri, Borno State, while declaring open the Community of Practice Meeting involving commissioners responsible for agriculture, health, environment and rural development from across the country.
The meeting, organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in collaboration with the Borno State Government and supported by Germany, focused on strengthening partnerships and coordinating policies towards food security.
Speaking at the event, Kyari said the Federal Government’s responsibility was to translate its food security agenda into increased agricultural production, improved affordability, stronger rural economies and a more resilient food system.
He said the government had recorded reductions of up to 50 per cent in the prices of some essential food commodities, alongside increased delivery of agricultural inputs, investment in rural infrastructure and support for smallholder farmers.
The minister urged Nigerians to compare current prices of major food items with their prices before 2023, particularly when assessing the impact of government interventions in the agricultural sector.
“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,” Kyari said, according to reports from the meeting.
The minister linked the reported decline in prices to measures aimed at increasing domestic agricultural production and improving support for farmers.
He also highlighted the Federal Government’s efforts in areas including agricultural inputs, mechanisation, irrigation, improved seeds, rural infrastructure, agricultural extension services and agro-industrial processing.
Kyari said the government was also working to address challenges that continue to affect food production and prices, including high input costs, inadequate mechanisation, post-harvest losses and limited access to finance.
At the Maiduguri meeting, he called for closer cooperation between the Federal Government, state governments, development partners and other stakeholders, arguing that fragmented policies could undermine efforts to improve food security.
According to the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Kyari said effective cooperation must translate into compatible policies, reliable data, complementary investments and clear responsibilities for implementation.
The meeting also considered Nigeria’s implementation of the Kampala Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Declaration and its Strategy and Action Plan for 2026–2035.
The Kampala framework covers areas including sustainable agricultural production, investment and financing, food and nutrition security, trade, inclusion, resilience and governance. Nigeria has developed a 10-year National Agrifood System Strategy and Action Plan to domesticate the continental commitments, Kyari said.
He urged states to align their agricultural plans with the national priorities, particularly in rural infrastructure, access to credit and quality agricultural inputs, labour-saving technologies, reduction of post-harvest losses and climate-resilient farming.
Kyari also disclosed that early fertiliser procurement for the 2026 farming season had generated reported savings of N61.58 billion for the country. The Federal Government, he said, was targeting the delivery of 1.1 million metric tonnes of fertiliser this year.
The minister further said the government was pursuing a new approach to agricultural mechanisation through the National Agricultural Mechanisation Policy and the National Agricultural Mechanisation Investment Strategy.
Under the proposed framework, a mega tractor assembly facility is expected to have the capacity to produce between 2,000 and 4,000 tractors annually, according to Kyari.
The latest claim is not the first time the Agriculture Ministry has reported a significant reduction in food prices. In March 2026, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture said Kyari had disclosed that prices of essential food commodities had dropped by 50 per cent nationwide. The ministry attributed the reported improvement to increased local production, agricultural inputs and interventions across major value chains.
However, Kyari’s latest statement is a government assessment and does not mean that the prices of all food commodities have fallen by 50 per cent. His statement specifically referred to “some” essential food commodities.
The minister’s comments come amid continued public attention on food affordability and the broader cost of living, making food production, supply and market prices a major issue in Nigeria’s economic policy discussions.
At the Maiduguri meeting, Borno State Deputy Governor Usman Kadafur, who represented Governor Babagana Zulum, said the success of agricultural policies should ultimately be measured by their impact on farming communities, including access to improved seeds, water, machinery, finance, storage, markets and better returns for farmers.
The meeting therefore focused not only on reported price reductions but also on sustaining agricultural production and ensuring that policies translate into measurable improvements in food availability, affordability and the livelihoods of farmers across the country.
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