Abuja, Nigeria – The Nigerian Government has unveiled an ambitious plan to boost national yam production, aiming to raise yields from 10 metric tonnes per hectare to 30 metric tonnes per hectare. The initiative, part of the Renewed Hope Agenda’s agricultural transformation drive, targets Nigeria’s over 50 million metric tonnes supply deficit in yam, a staple crop central to national food security and economic growth.
Speaking at the National Yam Advocacy Summit in Abuja, organized by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, outlined the programme’s three strategic pillars: expanding the land area under yam cultivation, increasing yields, and reducing post-harvest losses from 40% to 25% by 2027.
“The programme adopts global best practices, leveraging verified data, mechanization, cluster-based farming, post-harvest loss reduction, and market integration,” the Minister explained.
He emphasized that yams have now been officially classified as a Tier-1 crop due to their nationwide demand and strategic importance.
Currently, Nigeria produces 67.2 million metric tonnes of yams annually, accounting for 67% of global production. Sen. Abdullahi stressed that increasing productivity and modernizing the yam value chain would not only close the national demand gap but also enhance farmers’ incomes and expand Nigeria’s presence in the global yam market.
He highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to sustainable seed production, adoption of high-yielding and climate-resilient varieties, extension services, farmer training, mechanization, and improved market access.
“By reducing post-harvest losses, standardizing quality, and improving traceability, Nigeria can move from being the largest producer of yam to a major exporter of value-added yam products,” he said.
The summit brought together critical stakeholders, including the Deputy Director-General of IITA, Tahirou Abdoulaye, and the Director-General of the National Agricultural Seed Council, Hon. Fatuhu Mohammed, who emphasized the importance of an efficient seed system to ensure that improved yam varieties reach farmers effectively.
Representatives from development partners, farmers’ associations, and consulting firms also attended.
Sen. Abdullahi concluded by urging collaboration across government agencies, research institutions, private investors, state governments, farmer cooperatives, and youth agripreneurs to ensure that Nigeria’s yam sector becomes productive, profitable, resilient, and globally competitive.