Nigeria’s agriculture sector recorded numerous challenges in January, from climate change impacts to conflicts between farmers and herders.
Earlier in the month, the Nigerian Women for Agricultural Progressive and Development Initiative (NWAPDI) sounded an urgent call for greater attention to female farmers’ plight, emphasising their critical role in the country’s food security.
At an event in Lagos, the organisation’s National Coordinator, Omolara Svensson, decried the lack of robust data and structural support in the agricultural sector, citing these as significant barriers to progress.
“Women constitute approximately 90 per cent of the workforce in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, yet they remain under-recognised and unsupported,” Ms Svensson said. “Without their tireless contributions, food insecurity in the country would have reached unprecedented levels this year.”
Despite these challenges, there are some positive developments in the sector.
Cocoa farmers in the agrarian communities of Oyo State count gains from the soaring prices of cocoa beans in the outgoing season.
According to them, proceeds from cocoa farming in the outgoing season tripled what they realised in the previous cocoa farming season. They said the development had positively impacted their living standard, as some had conveniently embarked on house-building projects, buying cars and motorcycles among others.
However, other farmers have not been as fortunate. In Kwara State, rice plantations were submerged by water from the Jebba Dam, resulting in millions of naira in losses, prompting the state government to demand an investigation into the incident.
Muhammad Abdulkadir, a community leader in Tada, told PREMIUM TIMES that the flooding destroyed crops valued at millions of naira.
“Our farmers here came from different states in the north. We have farmers from Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, and Niger State, and they have lost millions of naira worth of rice farms to this flooding. When there was no flooding, we realised over three million metric tonnes of rice here annually,” the community leader said.
On the international front, illegal rosewood trade continues to thrive in Gambia despite laws aimed at curbing it.
In another development, the House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology tasked the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) on clear labelling of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) products.
The committee, during the agency’s 2025 budget defence session in Abuja, said clear labelling was in line with global best practices. Rep. Awaji-Inombek Abiante (PDP-Rivers) insisted that clear labelling of GMO products would enable Nigerians to make informed decisions on what they consume.
