Nigeria’s rice production declined from 8.9 million tonnes in 2022/2023 to 8.3 million tonnes in the 2024/2025 planting cycle despite ongoing government interventions to boost agricultural output and ensure food security.
Data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) revealed a downward trend in milled rice production, raising concerns over the effectiveness of the government’s efforts to address food inflation and hunger across the country.
Between the 2014/2015 and 2024/2025 planting seasons, rice production in Nigeria increased by two million tonnes.
However, the latest figures indicate a 600,000-tonne drop compared to the 2023/2024 cycle.
Despite the decline, the Federal Government has continued to roll out financial interventions to sustain food production.
In March 2024, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation paid the Rice Processors Association of Nigeria N76 billion to supply rice as part of an emergency intervention to mitigate Nigeria’s ongoing food crisis.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling hunger and ensuring food availability.
“The Federal Government would spare no effort in tackling the nation’s food security challenges,” Abdullahi said.
He also highlighted Nigeria’s past agricultural achievements, recalling that the country became Africa’s largest rice producer in 2019, reaching a production level of nine million metric tonnes. However, the recent downturn in output raises concerns about sustaining those gains.
The government has allocated N8.64 billion to various agricultural initiatives in 2024, focusing on food production, infrastructure development, and farmer support, according to data from BudgIT’s GovSpend accountability platform.
Kaduna-based agricultural expert, La’ah Dauda, noted that the decline reflects deep-rooted inefficiencies in the sector.
“The lack of reliable infrastructure and support for farmers has led to inefficiencies in the agricultural sector,” Dauda said. “We need to focus on empowering farmers, improving access to resources, and addressing structural challenges.”
Experts argue that the government must implement more sustained and deliberate policies to reverse the downward trend in food production and stabilize Nigeria’s rice output.
The declining production figures raise concerns over Nigeria’s ability to maintain self-sufficiency in rice production, especially amid rising demand and inflationary pressures in the food sector.
