Victoria Mbangwa
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing food security through a ₦75 billion (12 billion Japanese Yen) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
The funding will support critical initiatives, including improving rice seed quality, enhancing farm input distribution, and boosting extension services.
During a recent meeting in Abuja with a JICA delegation led by Mr. Takao Shimokawa, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, emphasized that the facility would reinforce the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP) by addressing key challenges in Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
“We will do our part under the technical cooperation with NCRI and include the National Agricultural Seed Council, NASC, to add value to the seed ecosystem”.
“While enhancing seed quality is crucial, we recognize that knowledge dissemination is equally important.” Kyari said.
He also highlighted the success of JICA’s Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP) project, which has supported farmers in 14 Nigerian states since 2020. The initiative, he noted, has bridged the gap between research and practical farming by equipping smallholder farmers with market-oriented skills.
Beyond rice production, Kyari revealed that the ministry plans to leverage technology for agricultural extension services, utilizing mobile applications to provide farmers with real-time weather updates, market prices, and pest control information.
Minister of State for Agriculture, Sen. Abdullahi Sabi Aliyu, reinforced the government’s commitment to quality seed production, citing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s stance that “plant the right seed, then you can feed the entire nation, so seed is key to our food security problems.”
JICA Director General, Mr. Shimokawa, reaffirmed Japan’s long-term commitment to Nigeria’s agricultural sector, announcing that the first tranche of the loan had already been disbursed. He added that monitoring and supervision of fund utilization were underway to ensure accountability and effectiveness.
With Nigeria being the largest rice producer in Africa, the partnership is expected to further boost production capacity and ensure food security, reinforcing the country’s resilience against global agricultural challenges.
