Nigeria has established a technical committee to accelerate agricultural interventions, increase staple crop production and strengthen livestock development as the government intensifies efforts to improve national food security.

Vice President Kashim Shettima constituted the committee on Tuesday during a high-level meeting on agricultural sector performance and strategic interventions at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The committee will focus on expediting initiatives targeting wheat and other staple crops, expanding dry-season farming and addressing challenges affecting farmers across the country. Shettima urged members to combine their expertise and develop a practical blueprint for implementing priority agricultural programmes.

The meeting followed discussions held with President Bola Tinubu the previous week, during which agricultural and other sector stakeholders examined the country’s development priorities.

The committee brings together representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture and Food Security, Water Resources and Sanitation, and Livestock Development, alongside officials from the Ministry of Finance Incorporated and the presidential offices responsible for livestock reform, agribusiness, productivity enforcement and food security.

It also includes chief executives of key agricultural and industrial institutions, including the Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture, National Agricultural Land Development Authority, National Agricultural Seeds Council, National Agricultural Development Fund and National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation. Representatives from the National Sugar Council of Nigeria, Nigeria Commodities Exchange and National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure are also members.

The committee will be coordinated by Marion Moon, Technical Adviser to the Vice President on Agriculture and head of the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit.

Wheat Production and Dry-Season Farming in Focus

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari said the meeting considered ways to address critical challenges facing farmers and use available resources to scale up wheat production and dry-season farming nationwide.

He explained that Tinubu had directed the Vice President to identify existing obstacles in the agricultural sector and develop measures to address them.

The government is also seeking to strengthen year-round farming by improving coordination between federal institutions and state and local governments. This approach is intended to support more consistent agricultural production and help the country respond to food supply pressures.

Kyari said the technical committee would coordinate the work of relevant ministries, departments and agencies, develop recommendations and establish an implementation framework. Its report will undergo further review before being submitted to the Vice President and subsequently to the President.

Stronger Coordination Across Government

Moon highlighted the shared responsibility of federal, state and local governments in advancing agricultural development. She warned that gaps in coordination between the three levels of government could limit understanding of conditions at the state level and undermine the effectiveness of national interventions.

She called for closer alignment between federal priorities and activities taking place within individual states to ensure agricultural programmes respond to local needs.

The committee’s work is expected to focus on translating existing agricultural priorities into coordinated interventions, with particular attention to crop production, livestock development and the expansion of farming opportunities throughout the year.

For Nigeria, improving coordination, addressing constraints faced by farmers and increasing domestic food production remain central to strengthening food security. The effectiveness of the new committee will depend on how quickly its recommendations are translated into practical support for farmers and measurable improvements in agricultural output.