Agricultural Transformation FG to Tripple Yam Production in the Country
The Federal Government has announced plans to significantly increase national yam production yield from 10 to 30 metric tonnes per hectare. This is aimed to address an over 50 million metric tonnes national supply deficit as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda’s broader agricultural transformation drive
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi stated this at the National Yam Advocacy Summit organized by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in collaboration with the Ministry and other relevant stakeholders in Abuja recently.
He highlighted the Ministry’s Ramping Up Programme which is anchored on three key pillars: increasing the total land area under yam cultivation, upscaling current yield from 10 to 30 metric tonnes per hectare as well as reducing post-harvest losses from 40 to 25 per cent by the end of 2027.
The Minister explained that “The programme adopts global best practices, leveraging verified data, realistic projections, state-level comparative advantage, mechanization, cluster-based farming, post-harvest loss reduction, and market integration”.
He added that “a key innovation is the categorization of staple crops into tiers based on national spread, consumption patterns, and strategic importance. Yam is officially classified as a Tier-1 crop, with nationwide demand and consumption, confirming its status as a priority crop central to food security and economic growth”.
According to him, ‘’By achieving these targets, we aim to close the national demand gap, enhance farmer incomes, and position Nigeria to capture a fair share of the global yam market With the current national productivity figure of 10 metric tonnes per hectare, Nigeria produces 67.2 million metric tonnes of yams annually, accounting for 67% per cent of global production
“This shortfall underscores both the untapped potential of the sector and the urgent need to modernize the yam value chain, increase productivity, and leverage Nigeria’s leadership to capture greater domestic and international market opportunities”.Sen Aliyu stressed
He added that yam occupies a unique place in Nigeria’s economy, culture, and food system as it not merely a staple but a symbol of prosperity, rural enterprise, and national resilience, noting that it represents not only food and wealth but sustenance and livelihood for millions of Nigerians.
The Minister stated further that the Ministry is committed to scaling innovations through sustainable seed production, farmer training, and access to finance, with a goal to reduce post-harvest losses and boost export opportunities. Utilizing IITA’s yam seed system research can improve the value chain, especially for farmers. But they can’t do it alone – collaboration between government, private investors, research institutions, and farmers is key to transforming the yam sector.
He reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to achieving food sufficiency in line with President Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a State of Emergency on Food Security, describing it as a call for decisive, coordinated, and data-driven actions.
Sen Aliyu disclosed that in collaboration with the Economic Management Team, the Ministry initiated some interventions to stabilize food supply, like boosting dry season production and structured grain releases. Recognizing that short-term stabilization must lead to long-term transformation, with a high-level Technical Team established in March 2025 to develop the comprehensive programme titled “Ramping Up Staple Crops Production for Renewed Hope Food Security.
He commended IITA for advancing Early Generation Seed production and improving propagation technologies, which have the potential to increase productivity by 70 to 140 per cent while providing planting materials with low disease risk, among others
He added, “This National Yam Advocacy Summit has reaffirmed our commitment to achieving sustainable food sovereignty based on the core food demands, types, and consumption patterns of Nigerians, and thus, together, we will build a yam sector that is productive, profitable, resilient, and globally competitive.”
In his remarks, the Deputy Director-General, Partnerships for Delivery and Scaling at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, IITA, Tahirou Abdoulaye, stated that the Institute is collaborating with the Ministry on several projects on technical expertise.
He urged the FMAFS to utilise innovations from years of research on yam seed systems at IITA to improve the value chain for the benefit of all stakeholders, especially farmers
In a goodwill message, the Director General, National Agricultural Seed Council, NASC, Hon. Fatuhu Mohammed commended the organizers for bringing out critical stakeholders to deliberate on a crop that is both culturally symbolic and economically strategic to Nigeria.
While acknowledging Nigeria as the largest producer of yam globally, he added that the crop plays a vital role in food security, income generation, amongst others.
“For us at NASC, as you move into National Yam production expansion, quality assurance, regulatory, compliance remains central to ensure that improved yam economy translate into enhanced productivity, increased income and improved food and nutrition security”.
According to a statement issued by Mrs Anthonia Eremah, Asst Director on behalf of the Ministry’s Head of Press, representatives from Sahel consulting, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Farmers Associations, Development Partners graced the occasion
