Senate Advances Bill to Modernise Nigeria's Agriculture, Boost Mechanisation

News in Brief:

—The Senate has passed the Transformation and Modernisation of Agriculture Bill, 2026 (SB. 1082) for second reading.

—The bill seeks one law to cover mechanisation, irrigation, farm financing and agro-processing, and has gone to committees for a four-week review.

The Senate has advanced a bill to give Nigeria's agriculture sector a single legal framework for mechanisation, irrigation and farm financing. The Transformation and Modernisation of Agriculture Bill, 2026 (SB. 1082) passed second reading on Wednesday, last week.

Sponsored by the Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau (APC, Kano North), the bill was referred to the Committees on Agricultural Production, Services and Rural Development, and Agricultural Colleges and Institutions after debate. The committees are to report back within four weeks.

During the debate, Senator Barau decried agriculture's underperformance. He noted that the Green Revolution programme lacked an enabling law, which made it hard to sustain beyond the government that introduced it. He urged senators to consider the bill with patriotism rather than party politics.

Adeniyi Adegbonmire (Ondo Central), supporting the motion, said the bill would create a National Agricultural Revolution Programme with clear national targets mandating successive governments to sustain it.

Anthony Ani (Ebonyi South) explained that the bill covers mechanisation, irrigation, research, extension services, financing and support for women, youths and small-scale farmers.

Babangida Hussaini (Jigawa North-West), a practising farmer, said it would harmonise agricultural policies. He cited weak storage, marketing and processing facilities as hindrances to Jigawa farmers earning more from hibiscus and sesame.

What the Bill Seeks to Do

The proposed law aims to provide a comprehensive legal framework to promote food security, agricultural productivity, mechanisation, irrigation, agricultural financing, agro-industrialisation, rural development and climate-resilient farming.

Senate Whip Mohammed Monguno said the bill would move Nigerian agriculture from subsistence production to modern, technology-driven and commercially viable farming. He listed improved seeds, agricultural research, extension services and irrigation development among the tools. According to him, the bill would also strengthen the value chain through storage facilities, cold-chain infrastructure, agro-processing and better market access.

Monguno named low productivity, inadequate mechanisation, limited irrigation, high post-harvest losses, poor access to affordable financing, insecurity in farming communities and weak value chains as the main problems the bill is meant to address.

A Bumpy Road to Second Reading

The Senate stepped down the bill after Senators Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) and Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North) raised concerns about its drafting, its wide scope and the failure to circulate printed copies to senators.

Ningi said existing agencies already handle irrigation and mechanisation, and argued that the bill gave too few details on how to achieve its goals. Abdullahi, who taught agricultural science for over 25 years, said agriculture is too broad to be covered in one law.

Barau agreed to step the bill down and promised to make printed copies available before bringing it back. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele argued that experts could deal with concerns about the detailed provisions during later scrutiny.