Category: Business

The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Agbeyewa Farms Limited to establish a Joint Venture (JV) for large-scale cassava cultivation and the management of the Renewed Hope Mega Farm Estate in Irele, Ekiti State.

The agreement, signed in Abuja on Friday, is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s cassava value chain, improve food security, and align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on agricultural transformation and rural development.

Speaking at the ceremony,  Executive Secretary,  NALDA, Engr. Cornelius Adebayo, said the partnership marks a major milestone in the government’s drive to modernise agriculture and empower private investors.

Adebayo explained that the collaboration was inspired by his inspection visit to Agbeyewa Farms in Ekiti, where the scale and efficiency of operations highlighted the crop’s vast potential.

“What we saw at Agbeyewa Farms changed my direction as chief executive. It encouraged me to include cassava as a major crop under NALDA. Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of cassava, yet we benefit the least from its global export market,” he said.

He expressed concern that despite producing around 65 million metric tonnes of cassava each year, Nigeria’s contribution to the $3.65 billion global cassava market is less than $1 million.

To close this gap, Adebayo said NALDA will intensify support for private sector participation in value addition through the production of cassava-based industrial products such as starch, flour, and sorbitol.

Under the MoU, NALDA will clear 5,000 hectares of land for Agbeyewa Farms to expand its current 3,000-hectare operation in Ekiti State, with similar initiatives planned in Delta and Kwara States.

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“Government cannot run enterprises. Our job is to provide the enabling environment for private investment to thrive. Agbeyewa has proven to be the best and largest in cassava cultivation; they deserve to anchor our Ekiti Mega Farm Estate,” Adebayo added.

He noted that the repayment arrangement for land clearing would be structured for flexibility and sustainability, allowing Agbeyewa to reinvest in production expansion.

“We are encouraging large-scale farming, in-grower systems, and farm estate clusters. This model will not only boost food production but also make Nigeria competitive in cassava exports,” he stated.

Adebayo further commended President Tinubu’s economic policies, noting that investor confidence in the agricultural sector had improved significantly, with NALDA receiving inquiries from six international partners in recent weeks.

On his part,  Managing Director/CEO of Agbeyewa Farms,  Mr. Oscar Seyi Ayeleso, lauded NALDA for its commitment to partnership and capacity building.

“This collaboration is a dream come true. Agbeyewa Farms started three years ago with 3,000 hectares of cassava and plans to expand to 5,000 hectares this year. Our goal is to become the largest cassava farm in the world,” Ayeleso stated.

He said the company’s operations have so far created over 2,300 jobs, including 444 managers and 1,100 farmers, while also providing training and employment opportunities for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.

“We are transforming rural communities by promoting mechanized farming and youth empowerment. Our yield last year was 35 tonnes per hectare, and we are targeting up to 40 tonnes this year. Every hectare cultivated can make a farmer a millionaire,” he said.

Ayeleso reaffirmed Agbeyewa’s dedication to advancing Nigeria’s food security and industrialisation goals, noting that the company currently supplies major processors including Nestlé among others.

Also speaking,  Technical Adviser to the NALDA Executive Secretary, Engr. Olusegun Owolabi, described the MoU as a blueprint for future collaborations across multiple agricultural value chains.

Key stakeholders in Nigeria’s agricultural sector have renewed calls for the swift passage of the Agricultural Extension Service Delivery Revitalisation Bill, describing it as a crucial policy instrument for modernising the country’s agricultural system, improving productivity, and strengthening food security.

The appeal was made during a one-day Stakeholders’ Advocacy Planning Meeting on the Agricultural Extension Service Delivery Revitalisation Bill held in Abuja.

Country Projects Director for the WOFAN ICON2 Project and Founder of the Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN), Dr. Salamatu Garba, said the meeting was convened to bridge the gaps identified during the formulation of the bill and ensure wider stakeholder participation.

“We realised there isn’t enough awareness on the procedure of getting a bill passed and ensuring it involves every stakeholder.

“This meeting brings together the legislative body, past executives, farmers, the media, and other sectors so that we are all on the same page as the bill nears finalisation.”

She noted that once enacted, the bill would address critical challenges facing farmers, including the shortage of qualified extension workers and the weak linkages between farmers and researchers.

“At the moment, there’s a huge gap between extension workers and farmers. Without proper advisory support, farmers cannot adapt to climate change or meet national food security needs,” she added.

Garba explained that the proposed legislation, derived from Nigeria’s agricultural policy, would help strengthen services and improve working conditions for extension agents and research institutions.

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Also speaking, Hajia Maimuna Lawal, WOFAN’s Director of Strategies, Innovation and Sustainability, said the bill seeks to modernise extension services through digital innovation, gender balance, and inclusivity.

“Only 15 percent of Nigeria’s extension workers are women, yet 70 percent of the agricultural labour force is provided by women,” Lawal noted.

“We’re using this opportunity to drive gender and youth inclusion into the bill. When passed, we will change the narrative from the groundnut pyramids of the 1960s to new pyramids of rice, maize, and ginger, powered by modernised extension services.”

Director of Extension, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Olawumi Ayodele, disclosed that the ministry is collaborating with WOFAN to ensure smooth legislative passage of the bill.

“Policies without legal backing often face challenges in implementation. Legalising parts of the national extension policy will ensure that all stakeholders adhere to clear timelines and responsibilities,” he said.

The Executive Director of the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), Prof. Sani Ahmed, expressed concern over Nigeria’s low agricultural funding despite its commitments under the Maputo (2003) and Malabo (2014) Declarations, which recommend allocating at least 10 percent of national budgets to agriculture.

“In over two decades, Nigeria met that target only once,” he said.

“Recent surveys show one extension agent serves an average of 6,466 farm families, compared to the FAO-recommended ratio of one agent to 500–800 families. In some states, the ratio is as high as one to 24,000.”

On his part, Prof. Ahmad Sani Miko attributed the weakness of the agricultural extension system to inadequate funding and poor state-level commitment following the withdrawal of World Bank support in the early 1990s.

“With the passage of this bill, funding, staffing, and extension capacity will improve at both national and sub-national levels,” he said.

Former Minister of Environment and CEO of Global Support for Clean Energy, Hon. Halima Alao, commended WOFAN for its sustained advocacy for agricultural empowerment, innovation, and inclusivity.

“The bill presents a strategic opportunity to standardise and modernise extension services across Nigeria in line with global best practices,” Alao stated.

“It will strengthen linkages between research and farmers, promote ICT-driven advisory services, and increase the participation of women and youth.”

She stressed the urgency of expanding and professionalising the extension workforce, noting that with only about 7,000 public extension agents serving over 40 million farm households, the service coverage deficit exceeds 98 percent.

“Strengthening extension services is essential to bridge knowledge gaps, boost productivity, and enhance national food security,” she added.