The Nigerian agricultural sector in 2025 was marked by a complex interplay of policy initiatives, economic pressures, and climate shocks, producing a year of mixed outcomes. While government interventions and private-sector engagement offered hope, persistent structural challenges and execution gaps tempered progress.

Presidency Courts Private Sector
Early in the year, Vice President Kashim Shettima called on the private sector to scale up investments in Nigeria’s food systems to address hunger and strengthen resilience. Emphasising climate-smart agriculture, regenerative farming, and digital solutions, Shettima highlighted modern technologies as critical to improving productivity and reducing waste across agricultural value chains.

Food Inflation and Price Fluctuations
Despite policy assurances, Nigerians faced rising food costs in the first half of the year. Staples like rice, maize, garri, yam, beans, and livestock products became increasingly expensive. Borno, Bayelsa, and Taraba recorded the highest food inflation, while some states saw slower increases.

By November, the Federal Government announced a decline in staple food prices, attributing improvements to targeted market interventions. Critics, however, argued that the price drop stemmed more from import surges than from enhanced local production, raising concerns about long-term food security.

Challenges for Farmers
High input costs strained smallholders nationwide. Fertiliser, seeds, and agrochemicals became prohibitively expensive, forcing some farmers to reduce cultivation or delay planting. Government programs aimed at input support often failed to reach many farmers due to delays and inefficiencies.

To bolster production, the Federal Government secured a ¥12 billion loan from Japan for the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP), targeting seed quality, input delivery, extension services, and private-sector engagement.

Mechanisation and Value Addition
President Bola Tinubu unveiled 2,000 tractors and farm equipment from Belarus under the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme, aiming to modernise farming and encourage youth participation. In August, a six-month ban on raw shea nut exports was introduced to promote local processing, though it caused short-term price shocks for farmers and exporters.

Climate and Security Risks
Floods in October affected over 315,000 people and destroyed 46,000 hectares of farmland, compounding food insecurity. Insecurity also plagued farming regions, with over 300 farmers killed or kidnapped, disrupting production and undermining rural livelihoods.

International Partnerships and Compliance
Nigeria signed a landmark cashew pact with Vietnam to expand production and processing, and launched an EU-compliance strategy under the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to safeguard export markets. The World Bank and domestic institutions also invested in productivity, agribusiness competitiveness, and value-chain financing.

Mixed Stakeholder Assessment
Industry voices highlighted incremental gains in policy direction, mechanisation, and food price moderation, but pointed to challenges in coordination, security, and implementation. Farmers faced low produce prices and high input costs, while policy ambitions often outpaced execution.

Outlook
As 2025 closed, Nigerian agriculture reflected both intent and inertia. Stakeholders agree that converting policy ambition into tangible, lasting impact will require stronger execution, climate resilience, security measures, and data-driven interventions.