Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has set out a broad agricultural support programme aimed at raising food output, limiting post-harvest waste and improving rural incomes, combining assistance for 10,000 farmers with machinery, digital tools and agro-processing investment. As Nigeria confronts increasingly expensive food and higher farm operating costs, the state is seeking to reinforce food security through targeted input subsidies, mechanisation, technology and value-chain development.
Input support and farm productivity
The latest package was introduced during the 2026 World Food Day event in Abeokuta. It covers 10,000 rice and cassava growers, who will receive subsidised inputs, while 10 tractors, additional farm equipment and 1,200 Android phones will also be distributed. The phones carry applications offering weather updates, market-price information and advice on improved farming techniques.
The programme reflects the view that food security cannot be achieved simply by expanding the area planted. Farmers also need reasonably priced supplies, prompt access to information, more efficient production methods, adequate storage and processing capacity, and dependable routes to market.
For many producers, the expense of fertiliser, herbicides, improved seedlings or stems, and machinery can decide whether a season is profitable or worsens financial pressure. Ogun’s intervention is intended to lower some of those obstacles and enable producers to better meet market demand.
Speaking under the World Food Day theme, “Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow,” Abiodun announced the following support:
- 2,000 rice farmers and 8,000 cassava farmers will receive agricultural inputs.
- Every beneficiary will get two bags of fertiliser and one bag of urea.
- Each cassava producer will receive 25 bundles of cassava stems.
- Cassava beneficiaries will receive 10 litres of herbicide each, while rice farmers will receive three litres each.
Farmers will pay 30% of input costs, with the state covering the remaining 70% under its partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The shared-cost model is designed to make essential supplies easier to obtain and support larger harvests. Its success, however, will rely on prompt delivery, sound oversight and whether it produces stronger yields and higher earnings.
For a state with substantial farming potential and access to major consumer centres, increased agricultural output has implications beyond producers’ fields. Larger volumes can support processing, haulage, wholesale activity and retail trade, as well as jobs for people outside direct cultivation.
Machinery and digital systems
Expanding access to equipment
Limited availability of modern equipment remains a structural constraint in Nigerian farming. Heavy reliance on manual work can restrict cultivated acreage, postpone planting or harvesting, and drive up costs.
Ogun has responded by allocating 10 tractors and other equipment to farm settlements and farmers’ associations. Abiodun also said the administration had acquired 39 tractors, four self-propelled harvesters and further equipment for mechanisation across the agricultural sector.
The value of mechanisation is not measured only by the machines purchased. It is also reflected in the additional land producers can work, the time saved during crucial operations and fewer losses from late planting or harvesting. Properly operated and maintained tractors and harvesters can lift efficiency and output. Shared-use arrangements through settlements and associations can make machinery available to producers unable to buy it themselves.
Long-term gains will nevertheless require practical arrangements in several areas:
- Maintenance systems and access to spare parts;
- Fuel availability and trained operators;
- Fair distribution of machine access among farmers; and
- A structure that keeps agricultural assets in service for a wide range of users.
The goal is a machinery system that remains productive over time, serves many farmers and helps sustain higher output.
Information delivered through phones
The 1,200 Android devices loaded with weather, pricing and good-practice applications form another part of the initiative. The measure recognises that information has become increasingly important to modern agriculture.
Weather data can guide decisions on planting and other field activities. Market-price information can help producers assess where and when to sell, while agronomic guidance may support the adoption of better methods and a quicker response to changing conditions. In a more unpredictable operating environment, timely information can affect both yields and profitability.
The phone programme is connected to the Ogun State Farmer Information Management System, introduced in April 2023 for agricultural planning and more focused interventions. Abiodun said the platform had registered more than 160,000 farmers and participants across the agricultural value chain.
The database can help authorities identify farmers, understand their requirements and deliver public support more effectively. It may also underpin agricultural policymaking based on evidence, provided its records are updated routinely and put to effective use.
The remaining challenge is ensuring that the technology reaches the farmers who require it, that users understand the applications, and that the information is accurate and suited to local conditions. If these requirements are met, digital services could narrow information gaps between producers, extension officers, markets and policymakers.
Processing, markets and new agricultural businesses
Moving beyond raw production
In addition to immediate input and machinery support, the Abiodun administration has made agro-processing a central element of its agricultural transformation strategy. The governor said 28 projects had been completed over the previous two years in crop production, aquaculture and poultry.
They include solar dryers, warehouses, cassava-processing facilities and a poultry-processing plant at Ajegunle Farm Settlement in Odeda Local Government Area. The poultry facility can handle 5,000 birds a day, or about 1.3 million birds each year, Abiodun said.
Harvesting more crops does not automatically translate into better producer income. Without enough storage and processing infrastructure, produce can spoil before it reaches consumers and farmers may have to make rapid sales at weak prices. Processing can widen outlets for farm goods, reduce preventable losses and support packaging, distribution and food-manufacturing businesses.
Cassava processing can generate value beyond the sale of fresh roots, while poultry processing can improve product handling and distribution. Warehousing and solar drying can preserve goods, curb spoilage and give producers more choice over when to sell.
The wider economic ambition is to keep more value in Ogun by processing farm commodities locally instead of selling them only as raw products. This can also attract industrial capital if farmers are able to supply processors with reliable quantities and consistent quality. Given Ogun’s proximity to key markets, an integrated value chain could strengthen the connection between farming, manufacturing, logistics and trade.
OGSTEP and dependable buyers
The Ogun State Economic Transformation Project, known as OGSTEP, is another pillar of the administration’s agricultural agenda. Abiodun said agribusiness companies within the programme had bought more than 283,000 tonnes of farm produce. Farmers organised in clusters have also received capacity-building assistance and links to off-takers.
Market access addresses a core problem for producers: growing crops without reliable buyers or sufficient knowledge of market conditions. Relationships with off-takers can make demand more predictable. Farmer clusters can improve coordination, ease access to training and inputs, and allow buyers to obtain commercially viable volumes.
When such ties endure, producers can plan output more effectively, negotiate sales with greater confidence and face less uncertainty over post-harvest markets. The reported OGSTEP purchases underline the importance of matching production with commercial demand. The next task is to deepen those ties, broaden participation and ensure commercial farming benefits smaller producers as well as larger agribusinesses.
Youth, women and land access
Agriculture’s employment potential is especially important in a country with a large young population seeking sustainable income. Bringing younger Nigerians into the sector, however, requires more than asking them to farm. It requires evidence that agriculture can sustain viable enterprises through technology, modern methods, finance and stable markets.
Abiodun said the government partnered with Soilless Farm Lab to train more than 200 young people in soilless agriculture and provide start-up support for beneficiaries. Soilless cultivation offers a method for growing selected crops in suitable settings without conventional soil-based farming. Depending on the crop, system and costs, it can support intensive production and specialised agribusiness activity.
The training is intended to introduce young people to alternative growing methods and equip them with skills for enterprise creation. Durable outcomes will require productive resources, business support, finance and access to buyers alongside training. The key tests will be how many viable businesses are created, the jobs they generate and whether beneficiaries can keep operating.
Women are also vital to cultivation, processing and food distribution. Improving their access to land, supplies, technology, finance and markets can raise household incomes and widen involvement in the farm economy. These factors point to the need for programmes that combine production assistance with enterprise development and inclusive economic opportunity.
Land availability is another determinant of the scale and efficiency of agricultural investment. The governor said his administration created the Ogun State Agricultural Land Management Agency to improve land access and encourage a responsible, inclusive framework for land-intensive investment in agriculture.
At the World Food Day event, Professor Kolawole Adebayo, former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, said Ogun has about 1.2 million hectares of arable land, offering considerable scope for farming and agro-industrial expansion. He said forward-looking policies and continued investment in innovation would be needed to unlock that potential.
Arable land alone is insufficient for expansion. Agricultural growth also depends on reliable water, suitable roads, storage, finance, relevant technology and effective markets. Adebayo called for an integrated transport system incorporating rail, road, water and air links to improve movement of produce and maintain quality before goods reach consumers.
The proposal highlights a wider distribution challenge: even a strong harvest can be undermined by weak logistics and insufficient storage, increasing costs and reducing the volume of food reaching markets in acceptable condition. Stronger connections among farms, processing sites, warehouses and urban consumers could therefore complement production investment. Ogun’s opportunity is to combine agricultural resources with its industrial base, transport links and closeness to large consumer markets.
Food security and the test of implementation
The state’s agricultural actions also form part of a wider effort to reinforce Ogun’s role in national food security. Abiodun praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s efforts to increase domestic fertiliser production and widen farmers’ access to agricultural inputs. He also recognised First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu for programmes supporting women farmers.
The governor said Ogun would continue to supplement federal agricultural measures with farmer-focused support, responsible investment and stronger buyer connections.
At the World Food Day gathering, Agriculture and Food Security Commissioner Bolu Owotomo said access to nutritious, affordable food is essential to human dignity and sustainable development. He called for increased investment in women and young people through better land access, financing, training, technology and profitable farming opportunities. He added that more than 12,000 farmers had received training and agricultural inputs through OGSTEP.
Dr Kabiru Yusuf, National Programme Coordinator of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones Programme, was represented by National Agriculture Expert Dr Louis Enaberue. He praised Ogun’s support for agriculture and urged recipients to use the supplied inputs and equipment effectively.
Prince Segun Dasaolu, South-West Coordinator of the Commodity Farmers Association of Nigeria, also acknowledged the state’s interventions. Rotimi Sogunle, speaking for farm settlers, thanked the governor for backing farming communities. Their comments pointed to the importance of continuing cooperation between government, farmers, development partners, research institutions and private investors.
Ogun’s approach combines near-term relief for farmers with investments intended to reinforce the broader agricultural economy:
- Subsidised supplies are meant to reduce production expenses.
- Mechanisation can improve farm efficiency.
- Digital services can widen access to useful information.
- Storage and processing assets can limit post-harvest waste, create more buyers and add value.
- Training and land access can support the creation of new agricultural enterprises.
The decisive measure will be the results achieved over time. Higher yields, lower costs, improved farm incomes, reduced losses after harvest, stronger private investment and a greater supply of affordable food will be more meaningful indicators than project launches or the number of machines distributed.
Effective delivery, open and fair beneficiary selection, regular oversight and proper maintenance of publicly owned agricultural equipment will be critical to preserving the gains. It will also be important that smallholder farmers, who account for a substantial share of the sector, can access opportunities created by public programmes and private capital.
The 2026 World Food Day programme brings these issues together by pairing support for 10,000 rice and cassava farmers with machinery, digital technology and investment throughout the agricultural value chain. Whether it produces enduring gains in food security will depend on implementation, coverage and measurable effects on those who grow and consume food.
For Ogun, the central task is converting agricultural potential into sustained productivity, profitable businesses and a more resilient food system—one that raises farm earnings, gives companies room to expand and improves consumers’ access to nutritious food at affordable prices.
