Many farmers have called on the Federal Government to take agricultural financial interventions closer to farmers, most of whom are based in rural communities, to improve access to support programmes.

A coalition of Nigerian farmers’ groups, comprising smallholder farmers, commodity associations, cooperative societies, agro-processors and other agricultural stakeholders across the country, has expressed growing dissatisfaction over the Federal Government’s decision to channel virtually all agricultural intervention funds, grants and programmes through the Bank of Agriculture (BOA).

According to the coalition, its concerns stem from the practical realities faced daily by millions of farmers who are the intended beneficiaries of these interventions.

Over the years, the Federal Government and development partners have introduced numerous agricultural support programmes aimed at boosting food production, improving farmers’ livelihoods and strengthening national food security.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Moukhtar Muhammad, the special assistant to the national president of the Coalition of Farmers Associations of Nigeria (CAFAN), said: “Unfortunately, the decision to centralise the implementation and disbursement of all donor-funded programmes and other government support through the Bank of Agriculture has created significant challenges that are undermining the objectives of these interventions.”

What farmers want FG to do

The farmers said that while they acknowledge the importance of the Bank of Agriculture as a critical institution in agricultural financing, they believe that no single institution should serve as the exclusive gateway for all agricultural interventions and programmes in a country with millions of farmers spread across diverse geographical locations.

“We cannot afford to manage national food security through a single centralised operational bottleneck.

“A more inclusive and decentralised approach—leveraging commercial banks, microfinance institutions, development finance institutions, licensed input suppliers, verified grassroots cooperative networks, commodity associations and state-level agricultural institutions—is urgently required to ensure that agricultural interventions reach intended beneficiaries efficiently, transparently and exactly when they are needed,” Muhammad said.

Why farmers seek funding closer them

Muhammad argued that a large number of farmers, particularly those in rural communities, have limited access to Bank of Agriculture branches and services.

“Many farmers travel long distances at considerable cost only to face delays, bureaucratic bottlenecks and administrative hurdles,” he said.

He added that the high level of illiteracy among local farmers and inadequate internet connectivity make it difficult for many rural farmers to open and operate the mandatory accounts required by the BOA.

The coalition stressed that agricultural activities are highly time-sensitive, noting that delays in accessing financing, inputs, seeds, fertilisers and other support services often cause farmers to miss critical planting windows, thereby reducing productivity and affecting national food output.

It said timely intervention is essential to agricultural success and that any delay directly undermines farmers’ ability to maximise yields.

The farmers also noted that critical funds are often trapped in excessive administrative procedures or fail to reach actual practitioners, creating deep frustration among farmers and diminishing confidence in government agricultural support schemes.

Muhammad further argued that concentrating virtually all agricultural programmes under a single institution creates operational inefficiencies, increases administrative burdens and limits competition, innovation and responsiveness in service delivery.

“No single institution possesses the capacity to effectively manage every agricultural intervention across Nigeria’s vast and diverse agricultural landscape,” he said.

Also speaking, Ahmed Yusuf, president of the Himma Youth Farmers Association of Nigeria (HYFAN), urged the Federal Government to re-examine avenues for decentralising the agricultural intervention system to make it more effective and widen its reach.