The Federal Government has trained 1,884 agricultural extension agents and food security specialists across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory under a digital programme designed to improve farmers’ access to advisory services and raise productivity.

The trainees comprise 1,110 extension agents and 774 food security specialists under the Grassroots Digital Extension Corps (GDEC), which was launched in Abuja on Wednesday.

Speaking at the launch, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said stronger extension services were essential to addressing Nigeria’s low agricultural yields and unlocking the sector’s estimated $300 billion potential contribution to the economy.

Abdullahi said agriculture currently accounts for about 26 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product and supports more than 70 per cent of the population through activities across its value chain. He, however, said the sector generates only about $1 billion in foreign exchange earnings despite its potential for greater production, processing and exports. He noted that agriculture could contribute as much as 30 per cent of President Bola Tinubu’s $1 trillion economy target.

The minister said the productivity gap remained significant, citing average yields of 1.3 to 1.5 tonnes per hectare for several crops in Nigeria compared with about 11 tonnes per hectare achieved in Egypt through irrigation. He added that although Nigeria produces about 63 million metric tonnes of cassava annually, its average yield stands at only six to seven tonnes per hectare. He stressed that extension advice must also be market-driven, while calling for the integration of GDEC with the National Electronic Extension Platform and harmonisation of existing extension programmes.