While much of Nigeria is accused of underfunding its farms, Kaduna State says it has done the opposite, committing more than ₦100 billion to agriculture and food security in its 2026 budget. Governor Uba Sani disclosed the figure while flagging off the distribution of 500 trucks of free fertiliser and tractors to 150,000 smallholder farmers, according to Tribune Online.
A Steep Climb in Spending
The scale of the increase is the story. Agriculture received only about ₦1.48 billion, roughly 0.4 per cent of the state budget, when the administration took office in 2023, before rising to ₦23.40 billion in 2024, ₦74.02 billion in 2025 and more than ₦100 billion in 2026, according to Tribune Online. The governor described the fertiliser exercise as one of the most extensive subnational support programmes in the country and said agriculture now contributes about 43 per cent of the state's economy and employs between 60 and 80 per cent of its active workforce, the same report noted.
Free, Not Just Subsidised
Kaduna also defended giving fertiliser away rather than selling it at a discount. The governor argued that even a subsidised price of ₦20,000 a bag would be beyond the reach of most smallholder farmers, and that partial subsidies tend to be captured by larger buyers who resell at inflated prices, defeating the purpose, according to Tribune Online.
Against the National Grain
The Kaduna numbers stand out against a broader pattern of thin farm budgets. ActionAid Nigeria has warned that the combined 2026 agricultural allocation of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory is only 4.58 per cent, well below the 10 per cent target set under African Union commitments, and described national capital investment in the sector between 2023 and 2025 as abysmal, according to Vanguard. The stakes are visible in prices, with the National Bureau of Statistics putting food inflation at 17.52 per cent year-on-year in June 2026, according to Premium Times, and running highest in states including Kogi, Niger and Benue, according to Sahara Reporters.
Bigger farm budgets only matter if they reach the field and lift the harvest. FoodPrices Nigeria tracks verified retail prices across Lagos markets, the practical test of whether a state's spending pledges ease the cost of food.