VZCZCXRO8686
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHUJA #1461/01 2111540
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291540Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3486
INFO RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 9661
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001461 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EE/TPP/ABT/ATP SPECK 
DEPT PASS TO USTR-AGAMA 
TREASURY FOR PETERS AND HALL 
DOC FOR 3317/ITA/OA/KBURRESS, 3130/USFC/OIO/ANESA/DHARRIS 
USDA/FAS FOR RON VERDONK, PATRICK PACKNETT 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ETRD ECON EAID PREL NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: NEW NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY PROGRAM 
 
REF: A. ABUJA 893 
 ¶B. ABUJA 817 
 ¶C. ABUJA 1314 
 ¶D. ABUJA 1456 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water 
Resources (MOA) has developed a new National Food Security Program 
to address the inefficiencies in Nigeria's agricultural production 
system and to ensure greater food security.  In June 2008, the 
National Council on Agriculture reviewed the program document and 
developed implementation guidelines and timelines for the program. 
The program includes provisions for establishing a guaranteed 
minimum price for farmers, expanding the National Strategic Food 
Reserve, and mechanizing agriculture, as well as other initiatives. 
Successful implementation of the program will require not only 
federal government support but also sufficient resources and buy-in 
from state and local governments and the private sector.  End 
Summary. 
 
Emergency Meeting 
----------------- 
 
¶2. (U) MOA, on June 22-24, called an emergency meeting in Abuja of 
the National Council on Agriculture following significant increases 
in the prices of agricultural products.   The Council is the 
agricultural policy-making organ of the GON. The Minister of 
Agriculture is the Chairman, and members include the Commissioners 
of Agriculture from Nigeria's 36 states.  Present at the meeting 
were representatives of the National Assembly; All Farmers 
Association of Nigeria; NGOs and other civil society organizations; 
the Country Directors of the World Bank, Food and Agriculture 
Organization, and the African Development Bank; and Agriculture 
Attach representing the U.S Department of Agriculture's Foreign 
Agriculture Service. 
 
Food Security Objectives 
------------------------ 
 
¶3. (U) Participants focused on the National Food Security Program 
(NFSP). Core objectives are: 
-- Short-term: Significantly increase agricultural productivity; 
-- Medium-term: Expand large-scale production and improve storage 
and processing capacity; and 
-- Long-term: Increase Nigeria's foreign exchange earnings from 
agricultural exports to 50 percent of total earnings. 
 
Food Security Measures 
---------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) The NFSP outlines measures to modernize Nigerian agriculture 
and to increase production for domestic use and exports by: 
-- Establishing a Guaranteed Minimum Price (GMP) to reduce 
fluctuations in production and prices of agricultural commodities. 
 
-- Expanding the National Strategic Food Reserve capacity from 
300,000 metric tons (MT) to one million MT. 
-- Increasing agricultural mechanization by increasing Nigeria's 
tractor density under public-private partnerships. 
-- Increasing agricultural land mapping to enable farmers to secure 
rights to land for long-term investment. 
-- Strengthening agricultural extension services by training 10,000 
unemployed youths annually for three years in collaboration with 
federal and state colleges of agriculture. 
-- Promoting the participation of the private sector in livestock 
development. 
-- Providing irrigation facilities for all completed dams, which 
will increase land under irrigation by 300,000 hectares. 
-- Promoting the development of cottage industries and 
agro-industrial parks for value addition and reduction in 
post-harvest losses. 
-- Revitalizing cooperatives through public-private sector 
collaboration and the establishment of specialized cooperatives in 
each Local Government Area (LGA). 
-- Increasing agricultural research and development including seed 
development and certification; also, supporting research and 
development of biotechnology. 
 
Funding 
-------- 
 
¶5. (U) The NFSP proposes allocating at least 10 percent of federal 
and state government annual budgets, as well as funding from the 
 
ABUJA 00001461  002 OF 002 
 
 
Natural Resource Fund, the Agricultural Development Fund, and the 
Federal Government's Intervention Bond Issue Fund, which holds 200 
billion naira ($1.7 billion) to modernize Nigerian agriculture. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Successful implementation of this initiative will require 
sustained federal government and private sector support, and 
sufficient resources and buy-in from state and local governments. 
However, continuing to maintain unproductive import bans on numerous 
agricultural products despite high domestic food prices calls into 
question the commitment to seriously address food security issues. 
Trade and Agriculture Ministers have agreed to review these bans 
(Reftel C and D).  The goal of earning 50 percent of foreign 
exchange from agriculture is unrealistic, except possibly in the 
very long term.  Nonetheless, if fully implemented, the Program can 
have a major impact on food prices, employment, and sustainable 
economic growth.  USG Team Nigeria is engaged with MOA to identify 
were we can be supportive (Reftel C and D). 
 
SANDERS