The Federal Government vows to end briefcase farmer era with new reforms targeting fake beneficiaries and focusing support on genuine farmers nationwide
The Federal Government has vowed to end briefcase farmer era as part of sweeping agricultural reforms that target fake beneficiaries and redirect interventions to genuine farmers.
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Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, stated this on Wednesday in Kaduna during the Government-Citizen Engagement Forum hosted by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation.
The minister said President Bola Tinubu’s administration inherited a dire food crisis and was tackling it head-on with transparent, data-driven solutions.
He said Nigeria’s agricultural sector had long suffered from elite capture, where politically connected individuals with no farms benefited from schemes designed for real farmers.
“We are ensuring that only genuine farmers benefit from government programmes. No more briefcase farmers,” Abdullahi said.
According to him, the government’s current emergency on food security remains in force, with interventions focused on expanding production, lowering food prices, and making agricultural support equitably accessible.
He noted that under the Agro-Pocket initiative, over 133,000 hectares of wheat had been cultivated in 15 northern states, exceeding the 130,000-hectare target.
“Jigawa State alone accounts for more than 50,000 hectares,” he disclosed.
In the next phase, support will be extended to 44,500 rice farmers, with additional attention paid to correcting the poor extension worker-to-farmer ratio.
Currently, one extension officer serves about 25,000 farmers—an imbalance the ministry intends to fix urgently.
Mechanisation, the minister added, is key to long-term agricultural competitiveness.
He said 2,000 Belarusian tractors and 9,000 implements had been commissioned by the President to drive modern farming across the country.
We are ensuring that only genuine farmers benefit from government programmes. No more briefcase farmers.
“Our approach is strategic and modern. These interventions are not cosmetic; they are geared towards making agriculture competitive and attractive again,” Abdullahi stressed.
He said that Special Agro-Processing Zones were being developed to improve market access, increase value addition, and help farmers earn more.
He also revealed that new seed varieties—developed by empowered research institutions—were now available.
These include improved maize, rice, cassava, and tomato seeds resistant to diseases like “tomato ebola.”
In the livestock sector, government attention has shifted towards sustainable development through designated grazing reserves, livestock villages, and transit shelters.
A new national dairy policy is currently in development.
On irrigation, Abdullahi said three major dam projects—Nwabi Yashin, Nwape, and Amla—had been completed, opening up more than 2,700 hectares of land for dry-season farming.
Mini-hydro dams will also be concessioned for off-grid power supply in farming hubs.
“This is not just about responding to today’s needs. We are laying the foundation for future resilience—reclaiming university farmlands, training youths and women, and reforming agricultural governance structures,” the minister explained.
He warned that the culture of fraud in agricultural incentives must end. He called on stakeholders, especially in the North, to expose individuals undermining reforms by manipulating systems and sidelining real farmers.
“We must discredit such people. The time to act is now,” Abdullahi declared.
The government’s plan to end briefcase farmer era is central to rebuilding trust in agricultural interventions and transforming food security efforts into lasting impact.
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The message is clear: only genuine farmers will be supported moving forward.
