The federal government does not want to just be content with being the leading producer of yam in the world. Rather, it wants to improve on the record that makes the country account for about 70% of yam produced in the world. This was made known by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi, while speaking at the National Yam Advocacy Summit held in Abuja, the federal capital territory on Thursday.
He said the government is taking steps to increase Nigeria’s average yam yield from 10 metric tonnes per hectare to 30 metric tonnes per hectare by 2027. This , he said, was with a purpose to closing a national supply gap of over 50 million metric tonnes.
He told the summit, which was organised by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, that the ministry’s “Ramping Up Programme” is built on three key pillars. He explained that the pillars are expanding the total land under yam cultivation, tripling yield per hectare from 10MT to 30MT, and reducing post-harvest losses from 40 per cent to 25 per cent by 2027. The objectives of the government initiative include working towards meeting local demands, assisting farmers to increase their income and taking steps to encourage export.
The initiative is the product of a high-level technical team, which was set up in March 2025 to develop a comprehensive programme titled “Ramping Up Staple Crops Production for Renewed Hope Food Security.” So, why focus on Yam? Hear the minister: “Yam occupies a unique place in Nigeria’s economy, culture, and food system. It is not merely a staple but a symbol of prosperity, rural enterprise, and national resilience.” He is right; yam is a major food crop in Nigeria. It is also grown across different regions. But the government is also looking at other food crops. According to Abdullahi, the unit that used to be known as the Root and Tuber Expansion Programme in the ministry has now been transformed into the Root and Tuber Industry and Export Development Programme, thereby giving yams and other root crops a stronger policy focus.
To achieve the objective, the minister said the ministry has an ally in the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, IITA. He said the institute is putting at the disposal of the government its research results, and the development of high yield seeds that will help the government to boost production of food crops and enhance the effort to achieve food security.
