‘Replicate Brazil’s agric model in Northern Nigeria to safeguard food security’
Farmers have called for a replication of Brazil’s agribusiness ecosystem in Northern Nigeria as part of a strategic roadmap for food security, economic prosperity, and sustainable development. Chairman, Belradoos Limited,
- By Our Reporters
Farmers have called for a replication of Brazil’s agribusiness ecosystem in Northern Nigeria as part of a strategic roadmap for food security, economic prosperity, and sustainable development.
Chairman, Belradoos Limited, Dr Faruk Umar, who presented the position paper by farmers and other stakeholders in Northern Nigeria and All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) at the 26th International Engagement Platform: Expodireto Cotrijal 2026 in Brazil, said agriculture remains the foundation of Nigeria’s rural economy, particularly in Northern Nigeria.
According to him, agriculture provides livelihoods for a majority of households and contributes significantly to national food supply, thus the need to focus on scaling up the sector to meet domestic and global demand.
He noted that Brazil’s transformation from a food-importing nation in the 1970s to one of the world’s largest agricultural exporters offers valuable lessons for Nigeria.
He said that Nigeria currently faces increasing food demand due to population growth, adding that with an estimated 31 million Nigerians facing food insecurity challenges, there is need for urgency in agricultural reforms.
He highlighted that the country’s food security strategy should focus on increasing productivity through mechanization, expanding irrigation agriculture, reducing post-harvest losses, strengthening agricultural research, improving rural infrastructure and promoting climate-smart agriculture.
He outlined that Northern Nigeria possesses the land, population and market potential to become one of Africa’s leading agricultural production hubs.
He explained that by adopting lessons from Brazil and strengthening mechanization, irrigation, agricultural research, agro-industrial value chains and youth-led agribusiness innovation, Northern region can significantly improve productivity and contribute to national food security.
He added that engagement through Expodireto Cotrijal 2026 provides a strategic platform for building the partnerships required to achieve this transformation.
“Reviving agriculture in Northern Nigeria is not merely an economic objective; it is a strategic imperative for food security, economic diversification and sustainable development.
“With coordinated policies, international collaboration and modern agricultural practices, Northern Nigeria can emerge as a global model for agricultural transformation in Africa,” Faruk said.
He listed key structural strengths of Northern Nigeria to include over 30 million hectares of arable land suitable for crop cultivation, diverse agro-ecological zones across the Sudan and Sahel savannah belts, a large rural population with deep agricultural experience, strategic trade access to West and North African markets and strong potential for livestock and cereal production.
He however lamented that despite these advantages, agricultural productivity remains significantly below global benchmarks due to structural constraints such as limited mechanization, climate vulnerability, and insufficient agro-industrial infrastructure.
Umar, who doubles as Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Kano State Chapter, said participation in Expodireto Cotrijal 2026 provided an important opportunity for knowledge exchange between Nigerian agricultural stakeholders and Brazil’s globally recognized agribusiness ecosystem. A delegation of ACF Kano State Chapter was also at the event.
He noted that with current state of agriculture in Nigeria dominated by smallholder farmers who often operate with low productivity and limited access to modern inputs and cereal yield significantly lower than the global average, Nigeria needs to transform its agricultural system for optimal production.
He said that with large domestic market of more than 220 million people, rapid population growth with potential food demand projected to double by 2050 and strategic export commodities such as sesame seeds, hibiscus flower, cashew and cocoa, Nigeria’s agricultural sector presents strong investment potential.
He said Northern Nigeria has peculiar advantage because of its dominance in several export crops.
Umar said Nigeria can become a significant regional food supplier to ECOWAS markets, North Africa, and Middle East.
He pointed out that the country has significant untapped irrigation potential with less than 10 per cent of Nigeria’s farmland is irrigated, indicating major expansion potential.
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He commended Nigeria and Brazil’s agricultural partnership with over $1 billion in agricultural cooperation agreements focused on mechanization and training programmes.
He encouraged Brazilian and global investors to invest in Nigeria citing significant opportunities in the areas of mechanization services such as tractor leasing, farm equipment maintenance, agro-processing, rice mills, oil processing plants, food packaging industries, agricultural logistics, cold storage infrastructure, commodity warehousing, agricultural technology, precision agriculture, satellite farm monitoring and agricultural data platforms.
He called for a replication of the Brazil’s agribusiness expo model and events like Expodireto Cotrijal 2026 through creation of Nigeria agribusiness expo aimed at attracting global investors, showcasing agricultural technology, promoting international partnerships and facilitating export market integration.
