Constraints to Increasing Agricultural Productivity in Nigeria: A Review

tuber contains 60–70 percent moisture by weight and a shelf life of 2–3 days. And, as largescale
cassava processing in Nigeria is still limited, most farmers still dispose of tubers at very
low prices. The bulkiness of cassava tubers increases transport cost to processors. There is
therefore no option for increasing the shelf life of cassava products other than processing.
Cassava processors at every level face daily challenges. Medium- to large-scale processors
face problems such as inadequate equipment and fabricators. Problems common to all
processors include unstable market conditions, unstable government trade policies, and
difficulty sustaining the supply of cassava. For example, the Mosaconi cassava factory in Kogi
state was established in 1993 for producing packaged gari and laundry starch. It had no
cassava farms of its own, and therefore depended solely on tuber supplies from surrounding
farms. The company had to close in 1999 due to unreliable supply of cassava roots by its
contract growers (Taylor et al. 2004).).
Maize
Maize was not covered by any presidential initiatives. We have included the crop in this
discussion, however, because of its importance among the cereal crops in Nigeria, rising world
prices for maize, rapid growth in production, and the potential for substantially increased maize
production with suitable use of improved technologies and inputs. Maize is now widely accepted
as a major source of food and cash income among its predominantly smallholder producers in
Nigeria. Maize has evolved in Nigeria from a backyard crop in the 1970s to a commodity that is
third since the 1990s to sorghum and millet in terms of output and area cultivated (Phillip 2001).
The expansion of maize production over time may reflect positive domestic supply response
since the mid-1980s to selective macroeconomic policies of government, including the import
ban on some cereals. Other factors are equally significant. First was the development, through
collaborative research, of fertilizer-responsive and early maturing open-pollinated and hybrid
varieties (IITA 1990). Second, there was enhanced adoption of maize growing and maizerelated
technologies through the vigorous extension activities of the World Bank–assisted
Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs). Third, there has been prolonged concessional
pricing of fertilizers, the critical input class in maize production in most parts of Nigeria. The
subsidy on fertilizer procurement, distribution, and pricing averaged over 70 percent per annum
during most of the period before the mid-1990s (Phillip et al. 2000). Presently, some of the
subsidy elements are still retained. And fourth is the relative ease of transporting and storing
maize grains.
Several years of research have been undertaken in Nigeria on maize by IITA and NARIs
toward varietal development in relation to fertilizer response, early maturity, and resistance to
pests, diseases, and parasites in Nigeria. Much of the research work has occurred in the
northern guinea savannah areas, perhaps due to the proven high yield potential in that agroecology.
The benefits of these and other research programs on maize have diffused slowly but
widely through the years and over many smallholders and consumers.
Maize Production Constraints
Table 27 shows a sample of maize varieties that have been developed, released, and sold to
farmers since 1989. Seed multiplication is done by the ADPs through outgrower schemes. The
ADPs often assist the outgrowers by providing fertilizers and other production inputs. However,
this scheme is constantly threatened by fertilizer shortages and lack of protection for the
outgrowers. For example, in a 2002 report, the Ogun State Agricultural Development
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