President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated Federal Government’s determination to continually review and strengthen on-going reforms in the agriculture sector “until Nigeria regains its pride of place as food exporting country.”
The President said the country’s rice import bill has dropped significantly, noting, however, that “beyond self-sufficiency, Nigeria must strive to become net exporter of food commodities.
“We are not doing badly in the agriculture sector: Nigerians and indeed the world are beginning to appreciate our efforts. We will work harder until we start exporting food.
“We are happy that rice and beans importation into the country have gone down by over 90%, and everyone can see how productive states like Kebbi turned out to be and states like Lagos, Ogun and Ebonyi are following the example.”
Buhari also disagreed with the astronomical food import bill presented by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from the inception of the administration which was later discovered to be “fraudulent practices’’ by some elite to deplete the foreign reserves.
“When I was told that the CBN had no savings after the windfall of selling oil for more than 100 dollars per barrel for many years and production was 2.1 billion barrels per day, I did not believe them.
“I did not believe them because majority of Nigerians cannot afford imported food; they rely on what is locally grown. It turned out that 50 per cent of the export bills were fraudulent, courtesy of the Nigerian elite.
“Unfortunately, we will not know all that happened because the elite worked in collusion with institutions in developed countries like insurance firms, shipping companies and other financial outfits, to perpetuate the fraud.”
What was Nigeria’s pride in food exportation?
Prior to the discovery of oil in 1956, Nigeria was famous for her agrarian economy, through which cash crops like palm produce (oil and Kernel), cocoa, rubber, timber, groundnut etc. were exported, making Nigeria a major food exporter. Among the export destinations for Nigerian agricultural exports were Britain, the United States, Canada, France, and Germany.
The Nigerian government promoted the use of inorganic fertilizers in the 1970s. In 1990, 82 million hectares out of Nigeria’s total land area of about 91 million hectares were found to be arable. 42% of the cultivable area was farmed.
Much of this land was farmed under the bush fallow system, whereby land is left idle for a period of time to allow natural regeneration of soil fertility. 18 million hectares were classified as permanent pasture but had the potential to support crops. Most of the 20 million hectares covered by forests and woodlands are believed to have agricultural potential.
Agriculture contributed 32% to GDP in 2001 compared to 41% in 1999 and a far cry from 65.7% in 1957.
A significant portion of the agricultural sector in Nigeria involves cattle herding, fishing, poultry, and lumbering, contributing more than 2% of the GDP in the 1980s.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in 1987 estimate, there were 12.2 million cattle, 13.2 million sheep, 26.0 million goats, 1.3 million pigs, 700,000 donkeys, 250,000 horses, and 18,000 camels, mostly in Northern Nigeria, and owned mostly by rural dwellers rather than commercial companies.
Fisheries output ranged from 600,000 to 700,000 tons annually in the 1970s. Estimates indicated that the output had fallen to 120,000 tons of fish per year by 1990. This was partly due to environmental degradation and water pollution in Ogoniland and the Delta region in general, by the oil companies.
In the past, Nigeria was famous for the export of groundnut and palm kernel oil, but over the years the rate of export of these produce reduced. A few years back, local Nigerian companies commenced exporting groundnuts, cashew nuts, sesame seeds, moringa seeds etc. Local companies such as Lantbruk Global Integrated Services Limited has paved way for other firms to continue in elevating Nigeria agricultural system.
Groundnut pyramids were pyramid-like structures made from groundnut sacks. The pyramids were built in northern Nigeria in cities like Kano, where groundnut production was a key part of the economy. They were viewed as both tourist attraction and symbol of wealth. In the 1960s and 70s, as production in Nigeria shifted from agriculture to oil, the groundnut pyramids disappeared. Recently, the Nigerian government has made efforts to revive the groundnut industry and rebuild the pyramids.
The country’s agricultural products fall into two main groups: food crops produced for home consumption, and exports. Prior to the Nigerian civil war, the country was self-sufficient in food but increased steeply after 1973. Bread made from American wheat replaced domestic crops as the cheapest staple food.
As food production could not keep pace with its increasing population owing to her neglect of agriculture, Nigeria began to import food, also losing its status as net exporter of cash crops like cocoa, palm oil, and groundnuts.
According to U.S. Department of State FY2001 Country Commercial Guide, Nigeria’s total food and agricultural imports are valued at approximately $1.6 billion per year. Among the major imports from the United States are wheat, sugar, milk powder, and consumer-ready food products.
What other nations earn from agriculture.
China – Agriculture contribution to GDP (USD millions): $944,614.58
India – Agriculture contribution to GDP (USD millions): $356,319.114
United States – Agriculture contribution to GDP (USD millions): $195,091.9656
Indonesia – Agriculture contribution to GDP (USD millions): $127,076.664
Brazil – Agriculture contribution to GDP (USD millions): $127,063.35
Russia – Agriculture contribution to GDP (USD millions): $724, 40.979
Turkey – Agriculture contribution to GDP (USD millions): $717, 43.612
Australia – Agriculture contribution to GDP (USD millions): $57,767.56
Japan – Agriculture contribution to GDP (USD millions): $55,396.02
France – Agriculture contribution to GDP (USD millions): $54,090.891
