The Senate has advanced three agricultural bills designed to raise productivity and secure the country's food supply, following the presentation of reports by the Chairman of the Agricultural Production, Services and Rural Development Committee, Senator Saliu Mustapha of Kwara Central, according to a legislative report on the bills.
A Strategic Buffer for Grain Reserves
The first of the trio, the National Food Reserve Agency (Establishment) Bill, 2026 (SB. 139), seeks to institutionalise the management of Nigeria's strategic grain reserves, moving the country away from ad hoc food interventions toward a structured system of stockpiling. As set out in the same report, the proposed agency would be responsible for stabilising food prices during periods of scarcity and providing a buffer against climate-induced crop failures or global supply chain disruptions.
Tackling the Rice Import Bill
The Senate also advanced the National Rice Development Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2026 (SB. 541), which targets one of the country's largest economic drains. Nigeria spends an estimated $2 billion each year on rice imports to bridge the gap between domestic production of 5.1 million tonnes and consumption of 7.4 million tonnes, the report noted. The Council would coordinate research into flood-resistant and high-yield seeds, regulate production standards, and oversee the modernisation of milling technology. Senator Mustapha described the bill as a "prosperity engine" intended to lift Nigerian rice farmers from subsistence to commercial competitiveness.
Coordinating the Cassava Value Chain
Completing the package, the Senate advanced the National Cassava Policy Coordination Council Bill, 2026, which would create a dedicated body to harmonise policy across Nigeria's cassava sector, as the report confirmed. Nigeria is the world's largest cassava producer, and a coordinating council is intended to convert that raw output into greater industrial and food-processing value.
The three bills now move through further legislative stages before any can become law. FoodPrices Nigeria monitors verified retail prices across Lagos markets and will track whether these legislative actions translate into measurable changes at market level.