Nigeria
Nigeria: Agriculture
Key Facts
Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria lies between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer. Comprising of approximately 140 million people and 36 states Nigeria operates a Federal and Presidential-style democracy.
Nigeria’s climatic zones vary as much as her people; tropical ecosystems overlooking the Gulf of Guinea in the south give way to dry savannas in the north – the journey taking in every conceivable hybrid. These highly diversified agro-ecological conditions allow Nigeria to grow an incredibly wide range of agricultural products, and support a heavy population of livestock. Nigeria also possesses an extensive coastal belt rich in fish and other marine products. For exports, meanwhile, Lagos represents the primary transport hub in West Africa, suitable for both air and sea distribution of goods.
Nigeria has 79 million hectares of land suitable for agriculture, 267.7 billion m3 of surface water, 57.9 billion m3 of underground water, and a potential irrigable area of 3.14 million hectares. Annual rainfall ranges from 300 to 4000mm.
Despite these favourable statistics, however, Nigeria’s agricultural sector has been growing at a relatively slow rate and is yet to fulfil its undoubted potential. Less than 50% of the country’s agricultural land is under cultivation, only 7% of irrigable land is under any form of irrigation, and over 90% of cultivated land is farmed using traditional production techniques. As a result, Nigerians are forced to spend almost 3 billion dollars on food imports each year.
Government Initiatives
The current Nigerian administration clearly acknowledges the underperformance of the agriculture sector; indeed food security and increased agricultural productivity are central to President Yar’Adua’s 7 Point agenda. As a result, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources have developed the National Food Security Programme. The vision is to ensure Access, Availability and Affordability of quality food to all Nigerians and for Nigeria to become a significant net provider of food to the global economy.
The goals are, in the short-term, to significantly improve Nigeria’s agricultural productivity, to improve large-scale production, storage, processing capacity, and infrastructure to achieve food stability in the medium-term, and, in the long-term, to derive over 50% of foreign exchange earnings through agriculture.
Opportunities
Crucially, the Nigerian agriculture sector is open to private sector participation. The potential of the sector and thoroughness of the Nigerian government’s plan present opportunities along the entire length of the value-chain.
· States with comparative crop advantage for import substitution have been identified.
· Crop and livestock targets and goals have been set.
· Targets relating to Infrastructure, land issues, and input-service delivery have been drawn up.
· Plans to develop 2 million hectares of Jatropha in 7 frontline states are in motion.
· Legal and funding framework in place.
· Many financial, and non-financial, incentives for international investors or actors.