ABUJA, Nigeria — 22 January 2026 — Nigeria has invested more than US$50 million over the past two years in biotechnology research and the development of climate-resilient seeds, part of a broader strategy to modernise its agriculture sector and improve food security, officials revealed on Thursday.
Fatuhu Muhammed, Director-General of the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), spoke at the official launch of the ProSeV Project and a stakeholders’ engagement meeting. The event focused on the adoption of improved seed varieties and their impact on agribusiness.
Muhammed described seed as “the most critical input in agriculture” and said the government’s funding has supported the creation of new varieties capable of withstanding climate stress, pests and diseases. These improved seeds include pest-resistant cassava, drought-tolerant millet and high-yield rice, which he said have the potential to revolutionise food production across the country.
He emphasised that adopting improved seed varieties remains central to transforming Nigeria’s agriculture from traditional subsistence farming into a competitive and investment-ready agribusiness sector. According to Muhammed, such seeds deliver not only higher yields but also greater climate resilience, enhanced nutrition and more sustainable farming systems.
The NASC boss acknowledged long-standing challenges facing the sector, including weak data on the performance and prevalence of existing seed varieties in farmers’ fields. He said conventional methods such as farmer recall and visual identification often failed to provide accurate insights, creating uncertainty for seed producers, processors, investors and policymakers.
To bridge this gap, NASC has been implementing the IMAGE Project — Institutionalising Monitoring of Crop Variety Adoption through Genotyping — which uses DNA fingerprinting to scientifically identify the varieties grown by farmers and track how they circulate through the seed system. Muhammed said this approach brings much-needed accuracy and credibility to Nigeria’s agribusiness data landscape.
The NASC chief also highlighted gains already made, including the distribution of over 120,000 metric tonnes of certified seeds, which have benefited millions of smallholder farmers nationwide. He added that the Digital Seed Distribution System, introduced in 2021, has cut distribution costs by 25 per cent while improving efficiency and traceability of seed supply.
Muhammed noted that women now account for approximately 35 per cent of certified seed users and that more than 2.5 million farmers have received training on good agricultural practices and effective seed management.
He also pointed to ongoing collaboration with global research bodies, including the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the CGIAR; as driving further innovation in seed breeding and climate resilience.
On strengthening the regulatory environment, Muhammed said Nigeria’s seed sector has benefited from updated legislation, enhanced plant variety protection frameworks, and NASC’s membership of international bodies such as ISTA and UPOV, positioning the country as a leader in Africa’s seed market.
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