How Tinubu's reforms have made rice importation drop to 50% - Agric Minister

By Matthew Denis, Abuja

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, disclosed on Monday that key reforms introduced by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration have successfully reduced Nigeria's rice importation by nearly 50%

The Minister made the revelation in Abuja during his keynote address at the preparatory G20 meeting on Agriculture and Industrialization, where he strongly emphasized the sector's importance. Agriculture, he explained, contributes over one-quarter of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and remains the single largest employer of labor, making its performance crucial for national growth and economic resilience.

Kyari asserted that under President Tinubu’s leadership, the government has repositioned agriculture at the center of national development, translating commitment into action through pragmatic reforms, higher investments, and stronger institutional coordination.

The path to national prosperity, he argued, lies in adopting an agri-industrial approach that fosters a symbiotic relationship between agriculture and industry to create a virtuous cycle of growth and innovation. This transformation requires shifting the agricultural sector from a subsistence-based system into a dynamic, business-driven one capable of driving industrialization and sustaining economic growth.

To achieve this goal, the Minister stressed the need to embrace new technologies and innovations that enhance productivity and efficiency, making agriculture more profitable and attractive.

He noted that the focus must extend beyond primary production to the development of the entire value chain, including processing, manufacturing, packaging, and marketing, while strengthening the linkages between agriculture and industry.

Kyari highlighted the impact of previous policy efforts, such as the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) established in 2015 by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Available data indicates that over four million farmers have benefited from the ABP across \text{21} agricultural commodities.

According to Kyari, the program has contributed significantly to Nigeria’s rice production, with output reportedly increasing from five million metric tons to approximately eight million metric tons within six years.

This growth, the Minister confirmed, has led to a notable reduction in rice importation, which dropped by nearly 50 percent, with the expansion of agro-processing infrastructure seeing the number of mega rice mills in the country growing to about 50.

Building on these successes, the government is now scaling up industrial transformation across the agricultural value chains through the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) project. This initiative, designed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other partners, involves creating designated zones where agribusinesses can operate efficiently. These zones benefit from essential infrastructure, services, and policy support, adopting a cluster approach that brings together farmers, processors, and input suppliers.

Kyari concluded by noting that Nigeria’s agricultural sector is entering a new phase of transformation under the Renewed Hope Agenda, guided by supportive policies and strategic partnerships.