By Mercy Omoike
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, says the agriculture sector contributes between 23 and 24 per cent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Kyari said this at the 2026 Vanguard Economic Disclosure on Wednesday in Lagos.
He was represented at the event by his Technical Advisor on Partnership and Collaboration, Mr Maruf Ajenifuye.
The Newsmen reports that the 2026 Vanguard Economic Discourse had the theme: ‘Food Security and Socio-Economic stability: Options for Nigeria’s Agriculture sector.’
The minister said Nigeria’s agriculture sector was recording a rebound with visible progress and milestone achievements.
According to him, agriculture contributes 23 per cent to 24 per cent to Nigeria’s GDP and also employs over 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the labour force.
This, he said, makes it a single, powerful labour employer that actually encourages growth and poverty reduction.
“This event is coming at a time when the Nigerian food security situation is undergoing some level of transformation.
“Food security actually is the foundation upon which the socio-economic stability of our nation rests on.
“Food security is not just what we eat, but how we eat, how we live, and ultimately, how stable our nation is.
“Yet, the sector faces some structural challenges, ranging from climate change, financing gaps, infrastructure deficits, as well as rising food costs,” he said.
Kyari said the challenges were affecting food security in the country.
“This is actually affecting the full finance of food security in terms of availability, accessibility, affordability, and stability.
“That is why when this administration came on board, the President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency on food security, and the federal Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Abubakar Kyari, inherited the food security emergency situation, and kept developing it,”he said.
He described the declaration as not just symbolic but a strategic national imperative.
“Fast forward to 2026, we can clearly see the evidence of food prices but we can also see that the sector is on the path of rebounding. That’s why, Nigeria’s agricultural sector is actually rebounding, and it is absolutely beneficial to us.
“Today, the food prices of essential commodities have dropped up to 53 per cent. For the first time in the last decade, in January this year, the food inflation dropped below 10 per cent, and 8.98 per cent year-on-year.
“The National Agricultural Growth Team has also supported over 622,000 farmers and subsequently increasing the yield to up to 10 per cent in the top 30 states.
“Also, the Federal Government has donated over two million bags of fertilisers to over one million farms, thereby boosting soil fertility and increasing the yield.
“These are not just aggregated gains. They are indicators of a system that gradually stabilises and increases the yield itself.
“The rebounding is still fragile, and input cost prices are still dominant, but it’s not a work in the past for us to put it under public control,” the minister said.
He also disclosed the government’s effort in ensuring crop yields with the distribution of fertilisers to farmers in the country.
He noted that the initiative had led to increasing crop yields in the sector.
“We understand that fertilisers remain the single largest cost driver for the production cost.
“Without the government’s intervention, the yield would drop from three to four metric tonnes to as low as 1.3 metric tonnes.