Bank of agriculture allocates N200 billion to support Nigerian wheat farmers

The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) has set aside approximately N200 billion to fund dry-season farming for 400,000 farmers across Nigeria.

This funding aims to increase domestic food production and improve food security by reducing the country's reliance on imported wheat. The bank will distribute these funds through farmer aggregator companies to provide resources such as land preparation, irrigation, seeds, and fertilizers. Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) partnered with the BOA to launch the 2026/2027 dry-season wheat farming programme.

A subsidiary of FMN Agro, Golden Agro Input Limited (GAIL), is currently supporting 10,000 farmers across six states. These farmers receive input packages valued between N250,000 and N350,000 per hectare, which they repay with harvested wheat grains instead of cash. GAIL also deployed 250 lead outgrowers to offer technical guidance to these participants. The programme has already increased wheat productivity in the region.

Project Director Olusegun Falade stated that average yields rose from less than one tonne per hectare at the start of the initiative to about 4.2 tonnes. While the company initially targeted five tonnes per hectare, some farmers have already achieved yields of up to 7.2 tonnes. The initiative also expanded Nigeria's wheat seed supply from under 200 metric tonnes to more than 10,000 metric tonnes. Participants reported that the programme has improved their livelihoods and household incomes.

These opportunities allow rural farmers to stay in their communities rather than moving to large cities for seasonal work. Despite challenges like land ownership and initial loan repayment issues, the repayment rate has improved to between 95 and 98 per cent in some cases.