The 2025 Wet Season Agricultural Performance Report by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Service (NAERLS) has revealed that the cost of producing major crops per hectare increased between 29.2 per cent and 36.3 per cent.
The report presented yesterday to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari and other stakeholders, revealed that the cost of producing major crops in Nigeria rose significantly in 2025 compared to 2024.
Executive Director of NAERLS, Prof. Yusuf Ahmad, while presenting the report in Abuja, revealed that the document varies by crops. For instance, among cereals, the cost of producing maize rose by 29.2 per cent, while among legumes, soybeans rose by 36.8 per cent. For root and tuber crops, yams rose by 25.9 per cent, while cocoyams stood at 13.2 per cent.
The report attributed the sharp increase to the high cost of fertiliser, revealing that the national average price of NPK rose sharply by 19.5 per cent from AN43,000 to N52,000 per 50kg bag.
The report stated that the Northwest, Northcentral and Northeast recorded the largest increase.
THIS is even as the Federal Government has strengthened the country’s data-driven agric policy, with evidence-based agricultural planning and policy implementation to address the
The 2025 APS, conducted between August 30 and September 7, in partnership with state ministries, agencies, and development partners, offers a comprehensive review of the agricultural sector during the 2025 wet season. Covering 13 thematic areas, the survey evaluated production trends, constraints to productivity, technology adoption, and field-level insights to inform government strategies.
In his remarks, Kyari, who commended NAERLS, its partners, technical departments, the Federal Departments of Agricultural Extension, Planning and Policy Coordination, and Livestock and Fisheries for their depth of collaboration and methodological rigor, highlighted that the inclusion of new datasets, such as the Farm Family Census and Tractor Census represents a new benchmark for agricultural data excellence for sustainable policy making and strategic investment.
According to the APS, major staples, namely rice, maize, sorghum, millet, cowpea, yam and cassava, recorded production growth over 2024 levels, contributing to a notable decline in food prices across all geopolitical zones.
However, the report also revealed persisting challenges, including high input costs, uneven mechanisation coverage, and post-harvest losses in parts of the South-West and North-Central. Flooding, pest infestations, and livestock disease outbreaks further constrained performance in some regions.
According to the Executive Director of NAERLS, Professor Yusuf Ahmed Sani, despite the challenges highlighted in the survey, the resilience of Nigerian farmers, the steady gains in crop production and the government’s renewed commitment to data-driven action collectively signal a hopeful path toward a more productive, resilient, and food-secure future for the nation.
