Nigerian crop yield still below global average, says report

DESPITE Federal Government’s claim that food production has increased across the country, the 2017 wet season National Agricultural performance survey report has revealed that the overall farm yield is still below global and African average for all the agricultural subsector.

The study highlighted challenges that affected food production during the 2017 wet season farming to include: climate change, absence of government input support, insecurity, kidnapping, poor support for agricultural extension.

The study carried out by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, domiciled at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, noted that the constraints affected all the subsector of agriculture including crops, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture, and agro forestry value chain.

The report launched Tuesday in Abuja, by the Minister of State Agriculture, Heineken Lokpobiri, noted that although there was increase in land area for food production, but this only resulted in 35 per cent increase in livestock and aquaculture.

Presenting the report, the Executive Director, NAERLS, Prof. Mohammed Othman, decried that the level of mechanisation in Nigeria is still very low, as over 34 states are unable to access tractor services in 2017, due to high cost of hiring services.

Besides not buying tractors for farmers, Othman said the survey indicated that 28 states could not access tractor services for their wet season farming due to unavailability, resulting into high cost of land clearing activities.