Shettima Orders Speedy Disbursement of ₦250bn Credit to Smallholder Farmers
Vice President Kashim Shettima has directed the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU) to fast-track the disbursement of the federal government’s ₦250 billion credit support for smallholder farmers at a single-digit interest rate.
The directive was issued during the 6th meeting of the PFSCU Steering Committee, held on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Shettima tasked the unit with developing a clear implementation roadmap to ensure the funds reach genuine beneficiaries and drive measurable improvements in agricultural productivity.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for providing the PFSCU with political backing to implement key reforms, including fertiliser raw material liberalisation and the Presidential Seed Fund. The Vice President noted that these policy directions have enabled the unit to accelerate delivery on interventions that directly benefit farmers and strengthen the country’s food systems. Shettima praised the unit’s achievements to date, stressing that stronger collaboration among ministries, agencies, state governments, the private sector, and development partners would enhance results. He further encouraged stakeholders to work towards revitalising the seed sector and expanding the strategic grain reserve.
During the meeting, Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji called for a framework that guarantees the ₦250 billion facility gets to smallholder farmers and pledged monthly financial support to PFSCU. Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi urged the introduction of subsidies for local farmers, while Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu recommended additional incentives to encourage agricultural production.
PFSCU Coordinator Marion Moon warned of the urgency in protecting Nigeria’s fragile food security gains, citing that 30.8 million Nigerians remain food insecure. She highlighted recent progress, including the insurance of 250,000 farmers under the National Agribusiness Policy Mechanism, the rollout of Phase I of the Harvesting Hope Caravan across eight states, approval of a ₦50 billion Seed Fund, and progress on the World Bank–backed $500 million AGROW programme.
Participants at the meeting welcomed the Harvesting Hope Caravan initiative, which works with state governments and local communities, underscoring the need for alignment across all levels of governance and the private sector in strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
The session was attended by the Deputy Governors of Niger and Ebonyi States, the Ministers of Finance and Agriculture, Ministers of State for Finance and Agriculture, ALGON President, as well as representatives of the private sector and development partners.
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