Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, says the country has made progress in food production, but weaknesses in processing and distribution are keeping prices high for consumers.
Kyari made the statement during an interview with ARISE News on Friday while responding to concerns about why increased agricultural production has not yet translated into significantly lower food prices.
According to the minister, improvements in agricultural production can already be seen in lower farm-gate prices in some areas. However, he said the main challenge is moving food efficiently from farms to processing facilities and ultimately to consumers.
He explained that gaps along the supply chain can increase the cost of food even when farmers produce more. Transportation, storage, processing and access to markets all influence the final price paid by households.
Kyari said the government’s agricultural reforms under President Bola Tinubu were beginning to show results when compared with production figures from 2023 and 2024. He maintained that the country was moving in the right direction but still needed to address bottlenecks between production and consumption.
.webp "Why Food Prices Remain High Despite Increased Production – Minister")
The minister’s comments come as food prices remain a major concern for Nigerian households. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that headline inflation eased slightly to 15.39 per cent in August 2026, while the pace of food-price increases also slowed during the month.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation has also reported that Nigeria continues to face food-security challenges, with some parts of the country experiencing weather-related pressures that could affect crop production.
Beyond farm production, the Federal Government has identified logistics, energy costs, irrigation, storage and access roads as important factors affecting food prices. Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele recently said food supply and logistics were among the structural issues contributing to inflation.
For consumers, the difference between farm-gate and retail prices remains an important part of the debate. Increasing production alone may not immediately reduce prices if significant costs are added during transportation, processing, storage and distribution.
Kyari’s comments therefore point to a broader challenge for Nigeria’s agricultural sector: ensuring that higher production is matched by an efficient supply chain capable of delivering food to markets at lower costs.
The government’s ability to address these bottlenecks will be important in determining how quickly increased agricultural output translates into more affordable food for Nigerian households.