Nigeria spends $10 billion annually on imported food, including wheat, rice, sugar, fish, and tomato paste, according to the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA). Dr Godwin Atser, Nigeria Country Director of SAA, disclosed this at the organisation's 2026 Annual Stakeholders Workshop and 40th anniversary celebration on Thursday in Abuja. The revelation comes despite ongoing government initiatives aimed at overhauling the agricultural sector and boosting local production. Atser highlighted that the massive importation reflects persistent gaps in domestic food production and supply chain efficiency. He noted that Nigeria continues to rely heavily on foreign markets for staple foods, even as arable land and agricultural potential remain underutilized. The SAA has long partnered with governments and development agencies to promote agricultural transformation across Africa. Atser reiterated the need for sustained investment in smallholder farming, improved seed systems, and better access to credit and markets.
Dr Godwin Atser's disclosure that Nigeria spends $10 billion yearly on food imports lays bare the failure to convert agricultural policy into productive reality. This figure stands in sharp contrast to the government's repeated claims of progress in food security and self-sufficiency. The persistence of such high import bills points not to lack of effort, but to the misalignment between policy announcements and on-the-ground outcomes.
The country's dependence on imported rice, wheat, and tomato paste reveals structural weaknesses in key value chains. For instance, local rice farmers still struggle with access to mechanization and storage, while domestic tomato production collapses during rainy seasons due to spoilage. The SAA's presence as a long-term development partner underscores that technical solutions exist, yet implementation remains fragmented and underfunded. Political prioritization of ribbon-cutting over systemic reform has turned agriculture into a cycle of promises.
Ordinary Nigerians bear the brunt through high food prices and economic vulnerability. Urban households, especially low-income families, spend over 60% of their income on food, making them sensitive to global price shocks. When imports dominate staples, local producers are undercut, and rural jobs remain scarce.
This is not an isolated shortfall but part of a decades-long pattern where agriculture budgets are poorly executed and import dependency is quietly accepted as normal.
