Farming stakeholders alert hunger persists in the land, seek better food processing system and support for rural farmers
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Farmers and other agriculture stakeholders have alerted that the threat of hunger persists in Nigeria despite agriculture foreign trade surplus of N668.34 billion in cash crops in the first quarter of 2025 (Q1 2025).
They urge better food processing system and support for rural farmers.
The value of agricultural exports surpassed imports by N668.34 billion in Q1 2025, according to foreign trade data compiled by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Agricultural imports dropped 5.02 per cent from N1.09 trillion in Q4 2024 to N1.04 trillion in Q1 2025, but imports grew 12.52 per cent from N920.54 billion in Q1 2024.
Stakeholders, including the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Agricultural & Allied Group and All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), noted the performance in agricultural exports, which grew 10.63 per cent from N1.54 trillion in Q4 2024 to N1.7 trillion in Q1 2025.
But they told The PUNCH that while high agricultural exports signal good fortunes for agribusinesses, raw commodity exports mean that hunger lingers as the dry season nears.
Tunde Banjoko (LCCI Agricultural & Allied Group Chairman)
“Only improved food processing capacity can secure Nigeria on its path to food security. Nigeria has not allayed fears of increased food prices in the lean season.
“Agribusinesses’ search for foreign exchange and increasing demand for raw materials, such as cornflour by pharmaceutical manufacturers, drove the N668.34 billion agricultural surplus.
“Farmers are poised to enjoy export dividends as they meet the quality that buyers seek.
“Everybody is trying to earn in forex [foreign exchange] now, hence the push for exports in the agric space. That’s why, for example, the price of most of our commodities, such as cashew, went up this year, even though cocoa came down.
“There is a demand for our product in many countries, especially in Asia.
“Africa appears to have raw materials and commodities that companies need. They’ve been looking inward, and many farmers have taken advantage of that, which is a good thing.
“The Federal Government should build food processing capacity. We should start talking about how to export not only raw materials but processed materials.
“Stakeholders’ prediction of food price hike by mid-year still holds as insecurity in Nigeria’s key food-producing states worsens the hunger threat.
“That prediction is still holding water as we look at the lean season.
“The United Nations World Food Programme estimated that 33.1 million Nigerians are projected to face acute food insecurity in mid-2025, and that is when people are not harvesting.
“It is coupled with the floods in Niger State that have ravaged and destroyed lots of places and this continuous crisis in Benin-City and Plateau States.
“Since the crisis hurts food supply, one cannot say we have respite until the price of food in the markets has come down. That’s the way to measure, not on paper.
“Until we get to the markets and get food at the best rates, then we can say that we have probably tamed the inflation of food.
“The ₦668 billion surplus is hardly a real surplus, because year on year [YoY], importation has grown by 12.52 per cent, reflecting a need for more valuable exports.
“If you compare the data year over year, you realise that we have imported more than we are exporting. You can’t just look at last quarter.
“Before the end of the year, our exports may exceed our imports in the agro-space, given that the previous quarter showed reduced imports. That will be a good sign.
“However, Nigeria cannot over-rely on other nations to provide its basic raw materials and grow to the point where it imports only what it does not have.
“No nation in the world is self-sufficient. I think we have to stress that in our conversation. Even the biggest economy still imports and relies on other nations.
“But the question should be, are we importing things that we have a comparative advantage over? Are we importing things that we could have produced?”
Kabir Ibrahim (AFAN President)
“We need data-gathering inclusiveness and support for subsistence farmers.
“Because of the 150-day duty-free import window, a lot of those things that were imported into the country are in the market, and that is helping to cushion food inflation.
“But the [agric trade] surplus may not present a comprehensive picture of the sector, as the data that the NBS works with may not cover the informal aspects of the trade.
“Nigerians must understand that most of the businesses of export and import in Nigeria are not properly covered because they are informal because of the porosity of our borders and non-compliance with the institutional framework for export and import.
“Despite the fact that some farmers are reporting that they are getting value for their produce, consumers are complaining about inflation.
“Most Nigerians still complain of a harsher economic trend.
“The farmer is happy when he sells and can buy and meet other needs. But not everybody has got that surplus to send to the market and derive anything from it, as a majority of Nigerian farmers are doing it at a subsistence level.”
NBS data shows the total value of trade in agricultural goods in Q1 2025 stood at N2.74 trillion.
Most exported commodities included:
- Standard-quality cocoa beans (N719.91 billion).
- Superior-quality cocoa beans (N508.27 billion).
- Cashew nuts in shell (N157.63 billion).
- Sesame seeds (N128.18 billion).
- Natural cocoa butter (N80.05 billion).
Exports were mainly to Europe (N1.13 trillion) and Asia (N431.15 billion).
Main agricultural goods imported included:
- Durum wheat from Russia (N111.67 billion) and Argentina (N47.62 billion).
- Soya beans (excluding seeds) from the United States (N45.04 billion) and Brazil (N25.71 billion).
- Frozen Jack and horse mackerel meat from Chile (N50.08 billion).
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