The Federal Government has pledged to reposition Nigeria’s yam sector for global competitiveness, declaring the crop a key pillar of its food security and export diversification strategy.
Speaking at the National Yam Advocacy Summit in Abuja under the PROSSIVA Project organised by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said yam production remains central to Nigeria’s food security architecture and economic resilience.
According to the minister, Nigeria produces about 67.2 million metric tonnes of yam annually—representing 67 per cent of global output—with an average productivity of 10 metric tonnes per hectare. However, he noted that national demand stands at an estimated 120 million metric tonnes, leaving a supply deficit of over 50 million metric tonnes.
Abdullahi described the shortfall as both a challenge and an opportunity, stressing that modernising the yam value chain is critical to closing the gap and strengthening Nigeria’s position in international markets. He added that under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, yam has been classified as a Tier-1 crop due to its nationwide consumption and strategic importance.
The ministry, he said, aims to increase yields from 10 to 30 metric tonnes per hectare, expand cultivated land, and reduce post-harvest losses from 40 per cent to 25 per cent by 2027.
READ ALSO: FG donates N5bn to victims of Kano fire
He also announced the restructuring of the former Root and Tuber Expansion Programme into the Root and Tuber Industry and Export Development Programme to strengthen policy support for yams and related crops.
In his remarks, IITA Deputy Director-General, Abdoulaiye Tahirou, highlighted Africa’s dominance in global yam production, noting that Nigeria and Ghana lead the continent, which accounts for about 90 per cent of global output.
He emphasised the need for stronger research partnerships, improved seed systems, and innovative propagation techniques—supported by partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the government of Japan—to transform the sector and boost disease resistance and multiplication rates.
We do everything possible to supply quality news and information to all our valuable readers day in, day out and we are committed to keep doing this.
Your kind donation will help our continuous research efforts.
-Advertisement-
-Want to get the news as it breaks?-
