FG inaugurates farmers’ coalition as agriculture records 4.39% growth

The Federal Government has inaugurated the Coalition of Farmers Associations for Food Security in Nigeria (COA-FARMERS) as the agriculture sector recorded a 4.39 per cent growth in the second quarter of 2026, its strongest performance since 2021.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while inaugurating the coalition on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Kyari said the growth was largely driven by the efforts of Nigerian farmers following President Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency on food security shortly after assuming office.

He said the renaming of the ministry to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security reflected the administration’s focus on ensuring that agricultural policies translate into food on Nigerian tables.

According to him, COA-FARMERS must go beyond serving as an umbrella body for farmers’ associations and become a platform for identifying challenges, improving information flow from farmers and helping government assess the effectiveness of its agricultural programmes.

Kyari also linked the coalition to Nigeria’s international agricultural engagement, noting that Nigeria was unanimously elected in February to chair the Governing Council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

“When Nigeria speaks in that forum, it must speak with the authority of its own farmers, and this coalition will help give that voice its substance,” he said.

The minister stressed the importance of women farmers in achieving food security, saying they must have greater opportunities to participate in decision-making, access tools, invest and expand their businesses.

He urged the coalition to provide honest feedback on government programmes, particularly in areas where interventions were not reaching farmers.

“Mr President expects this Ministry to deliver results that farmers can feel: better access to inputs, stronger production, higher productivity, better markets and more secure livelihoods,” Kyari said.

The minister also disclosed that President Tinubu had appointed him Director of the Presidential Campaign Council for Agro-Allied Commodities Mobilisation, with the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, serving as Deputy Director.

Abdullahi, in his remarks, acknowledged the coalition’s stated support for the President’s re-election bid and urged members to highlight the administration’s achievements in agriculture and other sectors.

The National President of COA-FARMERS, Chief Emmanuel Anoh, said the coalition comprised 99 farmer associations and commodity organisations representing producers, aggregators, processors and marketers across the agricultural value chain.

Anoh commended government interventions, including fertiliser distribution, tractor mechanisation, the National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro-Pocket and Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones.

He called for a direct-to-farm approach to distributing interventions and quarterly stakeholder meetings with the ministry.