Food Sovereignty: Minister restates Nigeria’s commitment to innovations, improved seed quality

*Abubakar Kyari, Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, at a forum in Rome, Italy, reiterates the Nigerian Government’s commitment to strengthening seed systems as part of efforts at attaining food sovereignty to improve dryland farming, achieve food security, reduce poverty, and enhance the availability of quality seeds

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening seed systems as part of efforts at achieving food sovereignty through agricultural programmes, policies, innovations, and global partnerships in the economy.

Abubakar Kyari, Honourable Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, said this at the 2025 World Food Forum’s “Seeds to Foods” exhibition, held at the FAO Headquarters, in Rome, Italy.

Ezeaja Ikemefuna, Head of Information in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, in a statement Monday, October 20, 2025, in Abuja, FCT, disclosed Kyari said the FAO–Türkiye–Nigeria South–South Cooperation aimed to improve dryland farming, achieve food security, reduce poverty, and enhance the availability of quality seeds.

The Minister also stated that the initiative would promote global partnerships and sustainable forest management, with Borno State serving as the pilot area for implementation.

He said: “We see great potential to scale up this initiative, not only to improve livelihoods in Borno but to position Nigeria as a regional hub for high-value crop production.”

The Minister equally explained that with Nigeria’s vast arable land, entrepreneurial farmers, and the support of FAO and Türkiye, the country can unlock new markets and drive inclusive agricultural growth.

Kyari further noted “This partnership stands as proof of vision in action, transforming ideas into impact and policy into progress.

“When we strengthen our seeds, we strengthen our farmers. When we secure our seeds, we secure our nation’s future.”

According to him, the programme focuses on introducing new crop varieties, training farmers, and building infrastructure such as irrigation systems to support dry-season farming.

The project, he stated, aims to enhance food security and resilience through knowledge exchange and collaboration between participating countries.

On training, exchange visits to Türkiye on seed processing, others

Minister Kayari likewise said the project introduced 10 Turkish crop varieties and five Nigerian ones, conducted 219 field demonstrations, 14 seed multiplication plots, and identified October 15 as the optimal sowing date.

Kyari said the project produced 7.5 tonnes of seed, including 684 kg of newly introduced legumes such as chickpea and lentil.

He said 186 participants, including 55 women, benefited from training and exchange visits to Türkiye on seed processing, value addition, and post-harvest handling.

He averred: “Infrastructure support included boreholes and field equipment to enable irrigation and dry-season farming.”

Kyari, therefore, assured Nigerians that the Federal Government would continue to prioritise a resilient and competitive seed system as part of Nigeria’s agricultural transformation agenda.

“Our pursuit of food sovereignty depends on the strength of the systems we build and the consistency of our actions,” he noted.

The Minister as well emphasised the need for policies that encourage transparency, innovation, and private sector participation to sustain the gains achieved.

The government will continue to invest in research and development to produce climate-resilient, high-yielding crop varieties, he stated.

Kyari advocated stronger certification and quality assurance systems to ensure the supply of improved and certified seeds in the agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy.

He urged support for institutions such as the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) to serve national and regional markets effectively.

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