The Federal Government, in partnership with the National Identity Management Commission has launched a groundbreaking initiative to establish a comprehensive farmers’ register aimed at enhancing agricultural interventions and ensuring food security in Nigeria.
The initiative, spearheaded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, seeks to develop a verifiable database of genuine farmers across the country.
Speaking in a statement on Thursday, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, announced that the project’s first phase would involve the registration of two million farmers within three months.
The second phase aims to expand the register to include six million farmers, ultimately encompassing all farmers nationwide.
Kyari highlighted the significance of this development in tackling a major challenge in agricultural policies.
“Many Federal Government interventions do not reach genuine farmers and agro-dealers due to the absence of a verifiable database of farmers across the country,” he said.
He described the initiative as “a game-changer,” stating that it would empower the government to directly target authentic farmers, enhance food production, and ensure food security.
“What we have just signed with the National Identity Management Commission is the development of a farmers’ register. We are going to use the platform that NIMC has, namely the National Identification Number (NIN) and the National Identity Card, which will contain all the biometric information of individual farmers,” he explained.
The register will go beyond personal details to include critical data such as farmland location, crop types, soil characteristics, and farming methods, including whether irrigation or rain-fed systems are employed.
“This register will ensure interventions and support reach genuine farmers,” Kyari emphasised, adding that the initiative will eliminate issues such as “portfolio farmers and ghost farmers,” ensuring government resources benefit those who truly need them.
In response, NIMC’s Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, affirmed the commission’s dedication to the project.
She stated, “We have a three-month timeline for the registration of two million farmers. We will utilise all our resources to ensure that the process runs smoothly. Our role at NIMC is to ensure that we use the NIN to link the end-to-end life cycle of farmer beneficiaries, enabling them to access government services at any point in time under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.”
Coker-Odusote also highlighted NIMC’s robust infrastructure, with offices in every Local Government Area, as a key enabler for the smooth implementation of the registration process.
