Tinubu Administration Intensifies Agricultural Reforms to Boost Food Production

By Abba Dukawa

The Deputy Zonal Coordinator, Agro-Allied Sector Mobilisation, North-West 1, for the President Tinubu Re-election Campaign, Hon. Abdullahi Mahmud Gaya, has said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is implementing far-reaching reforms to increase food production, reduce costs, expand agricultural financing, improve post-harvest management and strengthen value chains.

He stated this during an interactive meeting with APC stakeholders from Gaya Local Government Area of Kano State held in his office.

Gaya said the North-West geopolitical zone, which remains the country’s swing states in terms of voting strength and a determinant of the nation’s electoral outcomes, would mobilise support for the President, adding that the Agro-Allied Sector Mobilisation, North-West, would provide a platform for galvanising supporters across the region ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He noted that since 2023, the administration’s agenda has focused on food security, mechanisation, access to finance and value-chain development, aimed at raising productivity, creating jobs, improving market access and building sector resilience.

According to him, the Federal Government established the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development in July 2024 to modernise and commercialise the livestock industry.

Under the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy, he said, the ministry is promoting ranching, dairy production, meat processing, animal feed production and improved livestock genetics.

He added that the dairy agenda seeks to raise domestic milk production, reduce import dependence and expand opportunities for farmers, processors, feed producers and veterinary service providers.

Gaya further disclosed that under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP), smallholder farmers have produced an estimated 2.5 million metric tonnes of staple foods across four production seasons, with wheat output rising from 120,000 metric tonnes to 420,000 metric tonnes.

Similarly, he said, under the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanization Programme, the Federal Government secured 2,000 tractors and associated implements from Belarus — described as the country’s largest mechanisation project — targeting 550,000 hectares, about two million metric tonnes of food production and 16,000 jobs.

He listed other initiatives to include the John Deere partnership, Greener Hope and Green Imperative programmes, adding that the dry-season farming programme has covered about 500,000 hectares to ensure year-round production and reduce seasonal food shortages.

Gaya stressed that the North-West geopolitical zone and the country at large have a political covenant with President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections, which he described as sacrosanct and non-negotiable, vowing that the region will repay the President’s interventions in the agro-allied sector with massive votes.

He insisted that the zone has compelling reasons to sustain its support for President Tinubu, who has demonstrated commitment to addressing the North’s infrastructure deficit, adding that what the President expects from the zone is to vote for the APC from top to bottom to consolidate the projects executed in the region.