The federal government says Nigeria’s annual wheat production has risen from 120,000 metric tonnes to 420,000 metric tonnes through the implementation of the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP).

The government said the scheme is part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Ademola Adenle, senior special adviser on agriculture and innovation to the minister of agriculture and food security, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Saturday while reviewing achievements in the sector.

NAGS-AP is a flagship project of the federal government aimed at bridging food supply gaps and achieving national food sovereignty by providing subsidised, high-quality agricultural inputs directly to smallholder farmers.

Mr Adenle said the initiative was designed to help farmers access the inputs needed to boost productivity.

According to him, the sector is focused on ensuring that farmers have access to critical inputs.

He identified fertilisers, improved seeds and essential extension services as key components of transforming the agricultural sector.

“We have implemented NAGS-AP under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“The whole idea is to provide inputs to farmers, such as fertilisers, chemicals and good essential services, through agro-dealers,” he said.

He added that through the initiative, there had been a 300 per cent increase in production across various crops that farmers were cultivating, especially wheat.

“We have recorded about a 300 per cent increase in wheat production.

“Before, we were producing around 120,000 metric tonnes annually, which was the baseline.

“But with the introduction of inputs provided under the Renewed Hope Agenda, wheat farmers have enjoyed a 300 per cent increase in production.

“So, that is massive, from 120,000 tonnes to 420,000 tonnes annually, that is huge,” he said.

Mr Adenle added that the ministry would soon begin reforms to cover various aspects of the agricultural sector, aimed at strengthening the system.

He decried the country’s low agricultural productivity and blamed it on the obsolete Land Use Act.

“We are going to address the issue of the Land Use Act, which is one of the structural problems of the agricultural sector in Nigeria.

“The Land Use Act is quite old, we are currently using the 1978 Land Use Act which, obviously, vests power in the hands of state governments and has an inefficient traditional system of accessing land.

“That has affected smallholders, because smallholder farmers only cultivate an average of 0.5 to two hectares of land.

“So, how do we increase that to enhance production is what we are going to be working on,” he said.

He emphasised that the reform would touch every segment of the agricultural sector.

According to him, it would help address challenges across the value chain, from production and processing to distribution and marketing.

“With that reform in place, it will help enhance productivity and increase the level of income among farmers, among others,” he added.

(NAN)