The Federal Government has taken a major step towards improving agricultural interventions by creating a comprehensive farmers’ register through a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
The initiative aims to establish a verifiable database of genuine farmers across Nigeria, addressing a significant challenge in delivering agricultural support.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, announced that the first phase of the project would register two million farmers within three months. The second phase will expand to include six million farmers, with the ultimate objective of covering all farmers nationwide.
Kyari highlighted the importance of the register in ensuring agricultural interventions reach their intended beneficiaries.
“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.
Describing the initiative as “a game-changer,” the minister explained that it would enable the government to identify authentic farmers, boost food production, and enhance 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 added.
The register will include personal details as well as vital data such as farmland locations, crop types, soil characteristics, and farming methods, whether irrigation or rain-fed systems are used.
“So, we are going to have a register that ensures interventions and support reach genuine farmers,” Kyari emphasised.
The minister also noted that the initiative would tackle issues such as “portfolio farmers and ghost farmers,” ensuring government resources are directed to those who truly need them.
In response, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, assured the commission’s commitment 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 extensive infrastructure, including offices in every Local Government Area, as a critical asset for the project’s successful implementation.e and Food Security,” she said.