By Queen Kunde
Nigeria’s quest for food security may remain out of reach unless farmers and policymakers pay greater attention to soil health and proper fertiliser use, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, has warned.
The minister, who spoke on Monday in Abuja at the Fertilizer Summit on Phosphorus and Food Security in Nigeria, said sustainable food production depends on healthy soils capable of supplying crops with essential nutrients.
He stressed that phosphorus, a key nutrient for root development, crop growth and seed formation, must be properly managed to boost agricultural productivity and improve farmers’ earnings.
The two-day summit, organised by the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) in partnership with OCP Africa, brought together government officials, researchers, fertiliser industry players, farmers’ associations and development partners to examine ways of improving soil fertility and strengthening Nigeria’s food security.
Abdullahi said Nigerian farmers face major challenges in accessing phosphorus due to declining soil fertility, poor fertiliser practices and limited access to soil testing services and technical advice.
He said fertiliser must no longer be treated merely as a commodity to be distributed but as a strategic agricultural input whose effectiveness depends on scientific knowledge of soil conditions and crop requirements.
The minister identified the Nigerian Farmers’ Soil Health Scheme (NFSHS), launched in October 2025, as a major government initiative to address the problem through soil testing and tailored fertiliser recommendations.
He noted that many farmers still apply fertilisers without knowing the nutrient composition of their soils, leading to waste, higher production costs and poor yields.
The minister listed inadequate soil-testing facilities across the 774 local government areas, poor soil data management, weak coordination among institutions, low farmer awareness, the cost of recommended fertilisers and the sustainability of laboratories and digital systems as major challenges facing the scheme.
He announced that a readiness assessment scheduled for 2026 would identify implementation gaps across states, strengthen coordination and guide the expansion of the programme.
Abdullahi urged stakeholders to support the assessment and ensure its recommendations translate into practical benefits for farmers.
In his opening address, the Executive Director of IAR&T described phosphorus as a critical but often overlooked factor in Nigeria’s food security efforts.
He explained that phosphorus is essential for plant growth and cannot be manufactured like nitrogen fertiliser, warning that its poor management could undermine efforts to increase food production.
The IAR&T chief noted that many Nigerian farmers rely heavily on urea, a nitrogen-based fertiliser, without adequately replenishing phosphorus and potassium in their soils, further worsening soil degradation.
He also warned that global phosphate rock reserves are limited and concentrated in a few countries, leaving import-dependent nations such as Nigeria vulnerable to supply disruptions and rising fertiliser prices.
Calling for a shift towards a circular phosphorus economy, he advocated improved fertiliser efficiency through soil testing, better application methods and crop varieties, as well as the recovery of phosphorus from animal manure, food waste and wastewater.
He said Nigeria must make phosphorus management a national priority, stressing that food security cannot be achieved without reliable access to essential plant nutrients.
The Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Professor A. S. Bamire, described sustainable soil fertility management as an investment in national food security, economic stability and the future of coming generations.
Bamire lamented that continuous farming, nutrient depletion, deforestation and poor soil replenishment had reduced the fertility of many farmlands, resulting in lower yields and reduced profits for farmers.
He called for stronger collaboration among government, universities, research institutions, fertiliser companies, extension workers and development partners to translate scientific research into practical solutions for farmers.
Meanwhile, the Team Lead of the Technical Committee of the Nigerian Farmers’ Soil Health Scheme, Professor Vincent Aduramigba Modupe, expressed satisfaction with the turnout at the summit, describing it as an important platform for developing practical solutions to Nigeria’s food security challenges.
Modupe expressed confidence that the discussions would produce realistic and productive action plans to improve soil health and increase farmers’ yields.
Industry stakeholders, including FARA, FEPSAN, MATRX, OCP Africa, USCAL, IITA and AFIDA, pledged continued support for efforts to promote best practices in fertiliser use and sustainable phosphorus management.
The summit proceeded to panel discussions involving farmers’ groups, government representatives, OCP Africa, IAR&T and other stakeholders, who examined strategies for improving soil fertility and strengthening the fertiliser value chain.
The meeting continues on Tuesday with technical sessions expected to focus on practical phosphorus management, expanding soil-testing services and increasing private-sector participation in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
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