Nigeria Unveils Comprehensive Farmers’ Database to Ensure Targeted Support

The Federal Government of Nigeria has embarked on a major initiative to enhance agricultural interventions by establishing a comprehensive farmers’ register. This initiative is a collaborative effort between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), with the aim of creating a verifiable database of genuine farmers across the country.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, highlighted that the first phase of the project will focus on registering two million farmers within the next three months. The second phase will expand the register to include six million farmers, with the long-term goal of registering all farmers nationwide.

Kyari emphasized that the creation of the farmers’ register is crucial to addressing a major challenge faced by agricultural interventions in Nigeria—ensuring that government support reaches only authentic farmers. “Many Federal Government interventions do not reach genuine farmers and agro-dealers due to the absence of a verifiable database,” he said. He referred to the initiative as a “game-changer” that would help target legitimate farmers and, in turn, boost food production and improve food security in the country.

The farmers’ register will leverage the National Identification Number (NIN) and National Identity Cards, which will store biometric information on individual farmers. It will also include key agricultural data such as farmland location, crop types, soil characteristics, and farming methods, including whether the farm uses irrigation or rain-fed systems.

Kyari stressed that the register would address issues like “portfolio farmers” and “ghost farmers,” ensuring that government resources are directed to those who genuinely need assistance.

Abisoye Coker-Odusote, the Director General and CEO of NIMC, also expressed the commission’s full support for the project. She assured that NIMC would utilize its infrastructure, including offices in every Local Government Area, to ensure the smooth implementation of the registration process. “We have a three-month timeline for the registration of two million farmers,” Coker-Odusote said. “Our role at NIMC is to ensure that we use the NIN to link the entire life cycle of farmer beneficiaries, allowing them to access government services at any point in time.”

This initiative is expected to streamline agricultural support and bring a new level of transparency to Nigeria’s agricultural sector.