FG Taps Banks to Awaken Nigeria’s “Sleeping Giant” — Horticulture — for Food Security and Economic Growth. By Raymond Enoch
In a bold move to supercharge food security and rural prosperity, the Federal Government has called on Nigeria’s financial institutions to mobilize capital into the underutilized but highly promising horticulture sector.
Senator Abubakar Kyari, CON, the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, issued the charge during a high-level capacity-building session for banks and financial bodies in Abuja, describing horticulture as “a high-impact, high-return engine for national growth.”
“Horticulture is not just farming,” Kyari declared at the Abuja Continental Hotel event. “It is a vibrant agribusiness ecosystem central to rural transformation, healthy diets, and climate resilience. This is Nigeria’s sleeping giant—it’s time to wake it up.”
The Minister spotlighted HortiNigeria’s impact in states like Kaduna, Kano, Ogun, and Oyo, where thousands of smallholder farmers are being empowered with better inputs and market access. But he also warned of vulnerabilities—such as the devastating Tuta absoluta outbreak that recently decimated tomato farms in the north—underscoring the urgency of building resilient, well-funded systems.
Kyari laid out a compelling case for banks to tailor financial products to the horticulture sector’s unique needs. From seedling production to post-harvest processing and export, the value chain is ripe with opportunities, he said—if backed by innovative financing, digital solutions, and public-private partnerships.
“Our farmers need more than encouragement—they need capital, protection, and access,” Kyari said, pointing to reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. These include the recapitalisation of the Bank of Agriculture, rollout of the National Agricultural Development Fund, and upgrades to the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation.
The Minister’s message was clear: unlocking horticulture’s full potential could be a game-changer—not just for food supply, but for jobs, nutrition, and economic growth.
“Horticulture is pivotal to feeding our nation, ending malnutrition, creating jobs, and building wealth,” Kyari affirmed. “With informed financing and strategic partnerships, we can transform this sector—and Nigeria’s future.”
