Zero Tariff, Zero Balance? High-stakes gamble on Nigeria’s rice bowl by Remmy Nweke - WeekendSalvo@NaijaAgroNet

Nigeria’s duty-free import policy offers desperate food inflation relief for urban consumers, but threatens rural livelihoods. REMMY NWEKE, in this WeekendSalvo@NaijaAgroNet dispatch, reports that as local millers face collapsing farmgate prices against cheap foreign grain, CARF-FSD’s survey gathers crucial field data to determine whether this fiscal intervention saves consumers or destroys long-term domestic food sovereignty.

For decades, Nigeria’s rice sector has teetered on a high-wire between two urgent, conflicting imperatives: keeping food affordable on urban dining tables and keeping rural farmers in business. When the Federal Government deployed its temporary zero-import tariff policy on staple grains, a desperate fiscal wrench thrown to stall runaway food inflation; it unlocked an economic tug-of-war.

Food and Agribusiness Stakeholders Join Africa Sustainability Forum 2026 - NaijaAgroNet

As the intersections between food systems, environmental stewardship, and sustainable packaging take center stage across the continent, the Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) is spotlighting circular economy frameworks and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as key institutional participants confirm their attendance at the Africa Sustainability Forum 2026, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Scheduled for October 20, 2026, at Oriental Hotels, Lagos, the high-profile gathering centers on the theme “Sustainable Futures: Driving Just Transitions, Green Growth & Shared Prosperity.” The upcoming forum convenes vital stakeholders across agriculture, food manufacturing, regulation, technology, and civil society to examine robust pathways for sustainable development and environmental accountability.

CARF-FSD launches nationwide survey to assess impact of zero import tariff on Nigeria’s rice sector - NaijaAgroNet

The Competitive African Rice Forum for Sustainable Development (CARF-FSD), serving as the national chapter of the ECOWAS Rice Observatory in Nigeria, has officially launched a nationwide impact assessment survey to evaluate the operational effects of the Federal Government's Zero Import Tariff policy on the country’s rice value chain, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The survey targets primary stakeholders across the agribusiness ecosystem, including smallholder farmers, commercial millers, processors, seed producers, distributors, and agro-dealers; to collect first-hand field data on how the temporary duty exemption is altering market dynamics, local production capacity, and food security.

AFRACA-NIRSAL masterclass opens in Lagos, builds financial institutions’ capacity for climate, AI-driven agricultural finance - NaijaAgroNet

The African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA), in partnership with NIRSAL Plc, has convened finance professionals from across Africa for a week-long Masterclass in Lagos focused on inclusive climate finance and artificial intelligence integration for agricultural lending, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The capacity-building initiative brings together delegates from central banks, commercial banks, development finance institutions, microfinance banks, and insurance companies across Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya.

UCH Ibadan fortifies critical care with state-of-the-art Liquid Oxygen plant - NaijaAgroNet

The University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, has taken a major step toward bolstering its critical care infrastructure with the commissioning of a new, state-of-the-art Liquid Oxygen (LOX) plant, NaijaAgroNet reports.

The facility is designed to guarantee an uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen across the tertiary hospital’s intensive and emergency units.

Beyond Elu-Ulee: ADU unveils Awba-Ofemili health awareness campaign 2026, seeks community and diaspora support - NaijaAgroNet

The Awba-Ofemili Development Union (ADU) Health Committee has officially announced the launch of the Awba-Ofemili Health Awareness Campaign 2026, a community-wide initiative designed to promote preventive healthcare, disease awareness, early detection, health education, and healthy living across Awba-Ofemili, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The campaign, themed “Beyond Elu-Ulee (Buruli Ulcer): Building a Healthier Awba-Ofemili,” will be held on Thursday, 17 September 2026, at the Civic Centre, Awba-Ofemili, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Nigeria's Harvest Paradox (PART III) Seeds of change: Fixing Nigeria's broken food system by Remmy Nweke - WeekendSalvo@NaijaAgroNet

In Part I of this series, REMMY NWEKE in WeekendSalvo@NaijaAgroNet, diagnosed the paradox: Nigeria grows enough food to feed its people, yet that food is too expensive for millions. In Part II, we followed the journey of that food, exposing the "invisible tax" of bad roads, broken cold chains, and highway extortion that destroys value and inflates prices.

The conclusion is inescapable: Nigeria does not have an agricultural production problem; it has a food systems failure.

Nigeria's Harvest Paradox (PART II) The Invisible Tax: How bad roads, broken chains, and extortion inflate food prices by Remmy Nweke - WeekendSalvo@NaijaAgroNet

In Part I of this series, we established the central paradox of Nigeria’s food economy: the nation produces enough food to feed its growing population, yet that food is increasingly unaffordable for millions. REMMY NWEKE in this edition of WeekendSalvo@NaijaAgroNet, diagnosed the problem not as a lack of production, but as a catastrophic disconnection between the farm gate and the family table.

To understand why this disconnect exists, we must follow the food on its journey south. The problem is not that the food doesn't move; it is that the journey is so perilous, inefficient, and expensive that it fundamentally breaks the economic model of both farming and eating in Nigeria.

2027 agrifood system budget consultative forum ends in Lagos with call to adopt ₦10.5trn shadow budget - NaijaAgroNet

A three-day National Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the 2027 AgriFood Systems Budget concluded Friday, at the Amber Residence, Ikeja, Lagos, with key actors in Nigeria's agricultural sector calling on the Federal Government to adopt a ₦10.5 trillion harmonised citizen shadow capital budget for 2027, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The meeting, held from August 5–7, 2026, was organized by ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), the GIZ Global Programme Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Policies (AgSys) Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning (FMBEP), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), Community of Agriculture Non-State Actors (COANSA) and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the ECOWAS Commission.

Nigeria's harvest paradox (Part I): We grow food, yet cannot afford to eat well by Remmy Nweke - WeekendSalvo@NaijaAgroNet

Nigeria’s farms are producing, markets are active, yet healthy food remains beyond the reach of millions. Part I of the Nigeria's Harvest Paradox by REMMY NWEKE, investigates the growing disconnect between agricultural production and food affordability, exposing why rising harvests are not translating into better nutrition, stronger livelihoods, or lasting food security in the country.

Before dawn, the first trucks begin to move.
They leave the tomato fields of Kano, the rice plains of Kebbi, the yam belts of Benue, and the vegetable clusters of Ogun. Farmers harvest under fading moonlight. Labourers load baskets and sacks. Traders negotiate prices. Engines roar to life. The harvest begins its long journey across Nigeria.