FG, Enugu strengthen partnership to drive agro-industrialisation, food security

The Federal Government and Enugu State Government have renewed their commitment to transforming agriculture into a commercially driven sector through agro-industrialisation, improved productivity and wider market access.

The commitment was reaffirmed on Thursday at the 48th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Agriculture and Food Security, hosted by the Enugu State Government at Hotel Presidential, Enugu. The meeting, themed “Enhancing Agricultural Value Chains, Agro-Industrialization and Market Access for Economic Growth”, brought together representatives of the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory and development partners.

Governor Peter Mbah said agricultural development required more than increased food production, stressing the need to connect farmers with mechanisation, processing facilities, industries and viable markets. He said his administration was positioning agriculture as a major driver of its ambition to grow Enugu’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion by 2031.

Mbah disclosed that more than 60,000 farmers had benefited from agricultural support programmes, while 84,000 had been captured in a digital registry. He also highlighted the 260 Farm Estates Programme, which seeks to establish organised agricultural production hubs across the state’s 260 wards, supported by an Agricultural Land Bank covering about 187,000 hectares.

The governor also cited the assembly of 107 tractors through a partnership with Nortra Tractors, the expansion of Enugu United Palm Products Limited plantation to 6,917 hectares, creating more than 3,500 jobs, and the revival of Enugu Songhai Farms as a 10,000-hectare agro-industrial hub. Other projects include the reactivation of Sunrise Flour Mills and an Integrated Livestock Development Centre at Ubahu, designed to accommodate between 15,000 and 20,000 cattle.

“We want Enugu to become a place where agriculture supports industry, industry creates opportunities for farmers and entrepreneurs, and our products compete successfully in domestic and international markets,” Mbah said.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said the Federal Government was implementing interventions to improve productivity, protect farmers’ incomes and strengthen food security. He disclosed that the National Agricultural Development Fund’s Farm Input Support Programme had reached more than 115,000 beneficiaries across 25 states and the FCT, while ₦16.27 billion had been disbursed through agribusiness financing facilities.

Kyari added that the Bank of Agriculture had financed more than 500,000 smallholder farmers, while the second phase of the Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme was expected to deliver 1,500 additional tractors and more than 8,000 complementary equipment. He also said Nigeria’s economy grew by 4.43 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, with agriculture recording 4.39 per cent growth and contributing 26.15 per cent of real GDP.