FG attributes drop in food prices to boost in local production

…as Ogun empowers 3,200 farmers

The Federal Government has attributed the recent decline in food prices across the country to improved local production, enhanced agricultural interventions, and the onset of the harvest season.

Aliyu Abdullahi Sabi, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, stated this in Abuja during activities marking World Food Day (WFD), explaining that the ongoing price adjustment reflects the results of sustained Government investment in the sector.

Sabi said the large-scale implementation of the National Agricultural Growth Scheme (NAGS) Agro-Pocket Programme, launched in 2023, had significantly boosted production of key staples such as wheat, maize and cassava.

“From 2023, we went into massive production through the NAGS Agro-Pocket Programme. We injected almost 500,000 metric tons or more of wheat, including maize, cassava, and other commodities we promoted. This ramped-up production is what’s responsible for the drop in food prices,” he said.

Addressing speculations that the Government imported food to crash prices, the minister clarified that the import window opened last year was only a temporary measure to bridge production deficits, not to distort the local market.

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“Government only allowed a limited import window to bridge the deficit. But I can tell you for a fact that the imported items have not even been released. The claims that imported food is what crashed prices are not true,” he added.

Sabi also noted that panic among food hoarders contributed to the market correction, as fears of potential imports prompted them to release stored commodities, thereby increasing supply and stabilizing prices.

Meanwhile, the Ogun State Government has impacted 3,200 farmers, majorly cassava and rice farmers in terms of free distribution of farm inputs and production cost subsidy of 20 – 30% across the three Senatorial Districts that make up the State, distributing a total of 127 petrol-powered irrigation pumps to farmers in order to ensure an all-year-round farming in the State.

Speaking at a press conference held in Abeokuta to mark the 2025 World Food Day, Bolu Owotomo, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, declared that Governor Dapo Abiodun-led Administration in the State had facilitated various agricultural interventions under State-owned Programmes such as OGSTEP, OG-CARES, among others, to empower varied categories of crop and livestock farmers in the State.

Corroborating Ogun State Government’s stance on farmers’ empowerment, Rotimi Sogunle, the National Public Relations Officer, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), noted that the Ogun State started and sustained 30% subsidy on poultry production, saying with the subsidy poultry farmers were able to cope with 15% shortage always recorded on investments in poultry production.

Ruth Tene Natsa

Ruth Tene, Assistant Editor, Agric/Solid Minerals/INEC Ruth Tene is an award-winning journalist with over 15 years experience in developmental reporting across several newsrooms, as a reporter, editor and other managerial roles. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism from the University of Maiduguri among several other certifications She has attended several trainings and certifications both locally and internationally and has been recognized for her impactful work in humanitarian reporting, receiving the Gold Award for Humanitarian Services from the Amazing Grace Foundation. She is also a recipient of the Home Alliance Fellowship, reflecting her commitment to fostering a more humane, safer and more sustainable planet. An active member of professional journalism bodies, Ruth is affiliated with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), and the Agricultural Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ACAN), where she continues to advocate for excellence, ethical reporting, and development-focused journalism.