Field to famine: How poor seeds trap farmers in low harvest

In Kebbi State, Umaru Zanda, a cassava farmer in Augie Local Government Area, lost two-thirds of his expected harvest in 2023 after buying what he thought was improved hybrid seeds from a local supplier.

His yield reduced from 30 bags per hectare to just 10, leaving him unable to repay his bank loan.

“I applied fertilizer conformably, did the weeding and even early planting, but the seeds let me down,” he said.

“As a result, I was in debt. I could not repay the loan I borrowed from a bank.”

Nigerian farmers are losing tens of billions of naira to fake and substandard seeds and seedlings annually.

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A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a protective coat, while a seedling is a young plant that has just germinated from a seed, said Developing Experts, a dictionary for agro professionals. While seeds are often the starting point form most crops, seedlings are used when a farmer begins planting in a nursery stage.

Isah Aliyu, president of the National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, said farmers lost N150 billion to fake onion seeds earlier in 2025.

Farmers argue that the major reason for the preponderance of low-quality seeds in Nigeria is that the majority of them come from other nations – due obviously to lower capacity of local research institutes.

Nigeria’s domestic demand for seeds stood at over 350,000 metric tons (MT) in 2015, while production was merely 123,000 MT, leaving a supply –demand gap of more than 227,000 MT, according to the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC).

Despite the existence of over 14 research institutes, issues of poor quality seedlings and seeds, outdated farming methods, and low yields still plague the sector, hindering growth and stalling production.

A few available quality seeds and seedlings are out of reach of local farmers due to their high price margin.

Peter Deshi, chief executive officer of Ritdung Integrated Farms, said poor access to seeds and seedlings remains a threat to food security.

“We have grown as a country, but our seed systems have not developed. Thanks to the advent of the crude oil boom, we phased out our groundnut pyramids and cocoa farms,” Deshi stated.

He told BusinessDay that a lot of farmers replant seeds from past harvests without realising that the quality degrades over time.

“The more seeds are reused, the more they degenerate. This underscores the need for improved varieties,” he added.

For several rural farmers, the situation is even direr. Many now resort to planting grains instead since improved seed varieties aren’t available.

Less than N400 billion has been spent by the federal government on agricultural research institutes in the last five years, which is grossly inadequate.

Fred Ukula, agro-production/processing manager at Ecobasic Seed Nigeria Limited, said seed supply constraints can be linked to costs and low awareness.

“A lot of farmers lack access to improved seedlings due to the high cost of these improved varieties, as many farmers cannot afford them,” he said.

But beyond seeds cost, challenges like climate change, land degradation, desert encroachment, and insecurity are still major challenges.

Experts warn that continued dependence on local or reused seed varieties will only tighten production constraints.

Yield per hectare

Nigeria is bigger than Ethiopia in terms of arable land. However, Ethiopia’s yield per hectare far surpasses Nigeria’s.

While Nigeria’s rice yield per hectare is only 1.97 million MT, Ethiopia leads with 3.4 million MT.

Ethiopia has invested heavily in improving its seed systems over the past two decades. Through effective policies, the country has built programmes for the production and distribution of improved seeds and seedlings.

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Research institutes revisited

Kola Aderibigbe, a former chairman of Agro-Allied Sector, Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry, described the sector as ‘maturing at a slow pace,’ noting that achieving food security in Nigeria is tied to the funding available to agricultural research institutes.

“One of our biggest problems is a lack of adequate work on research and development. For any country that wants to grow, research and development must be top-notch.”

According to him, universities of agriculture are not doing enough owing to insufficient funding. “We don’t need external food aid; what we need is quality seeds that will enable farmers to plant and produce food.”

Impact of improved seed varieties

Globally, improved seed varieties have been game-changers. According to a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, improved seeds led to a 50 percent increase in crop yields worldwide between 1995 and 2015.

For developing countries, the gains are even more striking: 208 percent for wheat, 157 percent for maize, and 109 percent for rice.

In South-West Nigeria, adoption of improved seedlings has had a measurable impact. A study by Julius Manda and his team, published on PubMed, found that improved cowpea varieties led to a 17 percent rise in per capita household income and a 27 percent boost in asset ownership.

Experts say better access to improved seeds and seedlings could unlock significant economic gains for farmers, strengthen rural incomes, and contribute meaningfully to national GDP. But without targeted investment, those opportunities may remain out of reach.

Deshi emphasised that agriculture remains the foundation of national growth—but it’s being shortchanged.

“No matter the growth we have seen as a country, without substantial investments in agricultural technologies by way of improved seedlings, we will still lag,” he warned.

Low crop yield threatening Nigeria’s food security

Meanwhile, Aliyu Abdullahi, Nigeria’s minister of State for Agriculture, said on Monday that low crop yield continues to threaten national food security, He called for sustained funding, policies and laws to boost productivity.

Speaking at a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Agricultural Production and Services on Monday, Abdullahi said Nigeria must adopt a strategy that prioritises yield improvement over expansion of agricultural institutions – if it is to achieve self-sufficiency and ensure food security.

The session reviewed three bills: ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Agricultural Development Fund (Establishment) Act, 2025 (HB 2036)’; ‘A Bill for an Act to Establish the National Farm Settlements Agency to Promote Agricultural Development, Ensure Food Security and Foster Economic Growth (HB 1347)’; and ‘A Bill for an Act to Provide a Legal Framework for the Establishment of the National Rice Production, Processing and Research Institute, Argungu, Kebbi State (HB 423).’

Abdullahi described the proposed legislation as crucial to strengthening agricultural institutions and consolidating government investments, He, however, urged lawmakers to focus on improving productivity through research and innovation rather than creating new institutions.

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“For example, in rice production, the average yield in Nigeria is between 4.5 to five tons per hectare, with the best-performing farmers reaching about six. But in countries where rice is produced efficiently, yields reach nine to 12 tons per hectare. If we can fund and support the right processes to raise yields to seven or eight tonnes, we can easily close our current production gap,” Abdullahi said.

The minister further noted that despite Nigeria being the world’s leading producer of cassava for over three decades, its average yield remains low at about 11 tons per hectare, even though the country has capacity to yield up to 49 tons per hectare.

“Even doubling that average to 22 tonnes could raise national output from 60 million tonnes to 120 million. Tripling it would take us to 180 million tonnes,” he stated.