The federal government is to embark on a comprehensive farmer data audit and registry to identify genuine beneficiaries of agricultural interventions across the country.
Aliyu Abdullahi, minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, disclosed this on Wednesday in Kaduna during the technical session of the Government-Citizen Engagement Forum organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF).
Abdullahi said the audit will end the era of briefcase farmers benefiting from agricultural interventions.
He said the President Bola Tinubu-led administration has rolled out bold, data-driven reforms aimed at reviving agriculture, increasing food production, as well as putting an end to the culture capturing elites as beneficiaries of farming incentives.
He said the system will ensure that “only genuine farmers benefit from government programmes. No more briefcase farmers”.
According to him, the state of emergency on food security, declared by President Tinubu is still in full effect, with far-reaching interventions focused on boosting production, stabilising food prices, and ensuring fair distribution of resources.
“Our priority is simple: ramp up production, reduce food prices, and ensure equitable access to support. We met a food crisis and responded with data-backed, targeted actions,” he said.
The minister said under the Agro-Pocket initiative, over 133,000 hectares of wheat had been cultivated across 15 northern states—exceeding the initial target of 130,000 hectares.
He added that Jigawa State alone accounted for more than 50,000 hectares.
He said further disclosed that another plan had been activated to support 44,500 rice farmers nationwide, with an improved extension service system aimed at addressing the unacceptable extension-to-farmer ratio of 1 to 25,000.
Speaking on mechanisation, Abdullahi said 2,000 Belarusian tractors and 9,000 implements had been launched by the President to modernise farming and enhance food production across the country.
He said, “Our approach is strategic and modern. These interventions are not cosmetic; they are geared towards making agriculture competitive and attractive again.
According to him, “Special Agro-Processing Zones are being developed to support market access and value addition, enabling farmers to earn higher returns.”
The minister said, agricultural research institutions have been empowered to release improved seed varieties, including new strains of maize, rice, cassava, and tomato resistant to the deadly “tomato ebola” disease.
Speaking on the livestock sub-sector, the minister said, government attention has shifted to sustainable development through the creation of grazing reserves, livestock villages, and transit shelters, while a national dairy policy is in the works.
He said, three key dam projects—Nwabi Yashin, Nwape, and Amla—had been completed, unlocking over 2,700 hectares of land for irrigation, stressing that plans were underway to concession mini-hydro dams for off-grid power to energise farming communities.
“We are laying the foundation for future resilience, reclaiming university farmlands, training youths and women, and reforming agricultural governance structures,” he said.
The minister called on Northern stakeholders to confront those who sabotage reforms by manipulating systems and shortchanging real farmers, stressing that the time had come for such people to be discredited.
