COMMITTEE REPORT ON THE REQUEST FOR SPECIAL FEDERAL INTERVENTION FUNDS FOR DIRECT PURCHASES OF SOYA BEANS FROM FARMERS TO PREVENT POST-HARVEST LOSSES AND SUPPORT NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY
1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
The Committee was constituted to review and strengthen the proposal titled Request for Special Federal Intervention Funds for Direct Purchases of Soya Beans from Farmers to Prevent Post-Harvest Losses and Support National Food Security.” The proposal is promoted under our forum Nigeria Benin Advocacy for Development Forum NBADF) a non-profit organization with constitutional objectives centered on development, which includes food security, farmer protection, and policy advocacy in Nigeria and Benin
Soya beans remain one of Nigeria’s most strategic crops due to their multipurpose value across human nutrition, livestock feed, industrial processing, and export markets. Despite increasing production volumes, Nigerian smallholder farmers continue to suffer significant post-harvest losses caused by poor storage, price crashes during harvest periods, weak aggregation systems, and limited access to structured markets.
The Committee’s mandate was to assess the technical soundness, policy alignment, institutional compliance, feasibility, and overall acceptability of the proposal to relevant federal authorities, particularly the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS)
2. OBJECTIVES OF THE COMMITTEE REVIEW
The Committee reviewed the proposal with the following objectives:
1. To assess and strengthen the content, structure, and policy alignment of the Soya Beans Intervention Fund proposal.
2. To examine the justification for federal intervention and ensure arguments are evidence based and policy relevant.
3. To ensure compliance with NBADF’s Memorandum and Articles of Association (MEMART), particularly regarding advocacy roles, non-profit principles, and institutional boundaries.
4. To strengthen the proposed intervention framework, procurement model, and implementation strategy.
5. To identify gaps, inconsistencies, and areas requiring clearer articulation or improvement.
6. To recommend enhancements that improve acceptability by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and other relevant federal stakeholders.
3. SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE FINDINGS
3.1 Technical and Policy Alignment
The Committee finds that the proposal is technically sound and aligns with key federal agricultural priorities, including:
- National Food Security Strategy
- Agricultural Value Chain Development Policy
- Import Substitution and Agro-Industrialization Agenda
- Strategic Grain Reserve and Commodity Stabilization objectives
The direct purchase of soya beans at harvest time is consistent with global best practices for commodity stabilization and post-harvest loss reduction.
3.2 Justification for Federal Intervention
The justification for federal intervention is valid and supported by the following realities:
- Seasonal price collapses during peak harvest periods
- High post-harvest losses estimated at 20–30% in grain-producing zones
- Weak rural storage and aggregation infrastructure
- Rising national demand for soya beans by feed mills, processors, and exporters
However, the Committee notes that the proposal will benefit from clearer referencing of national data sources (e.g. FMARD/FMAFS statistics, FAO estimates, or NBS reports) to further strengthen evidence based advocacy.
3.3 NBADF Institutional Compliance
The Committee confirms that NBDF’s role as proposed is advocacy, coordination, monitoring, and technical support not direct commercial trading or profit-making. This is consistent with NBADF’s MEMART, provided that:
- All procurement funds are domiciled within government-approved channels
- NBADF does not directly handle commodity funds
- Implementation is led by designated government agencies or licensed aggregators
3.4 Intervention Framework and Procurement Model
The proposed intervention framework is sound but requires clearer articulation of:
- Institutional roles and responsibilities
- Procurement pricing mechanisms
- Quality control and grading standards
- Storage, off-take, and exit strategies
A transparent procurement model anchored on minimum guaranteed price mechanisms and use of existing federal storage and reserve systems is recommended.
3.5 Gaps and Areas for Improvement
The Committee identified the following gaps:
- Insufficient clarity on governance and oversight structures
- Limited articulation of risk management (leakages, diversion, quality failure)
- Need for clearer implementation timelines and pilot phases
- Absence of defined monitoring and evaluation (M&E) indicators
4. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
The Committee recommends as follows:
1. The proposal should clearly position the intervention as a price stabilization and food security mechanism not a subsidy program.
2. Federal intervention should be framed as a strategic commodity purchase aligned with national reserve and agro-industrial supply needs.
3. NBADF role should be explicitly limited to advocacy, farmer mobilization, technical coordination, and independent monitoring.
4. Procurement should be executed through:
- Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security
- Designated agencies (e.g. Strategic Grains Reserve Department)
- Licensed commodity aggregators and cooperatives
5. Minimum guaranteed pricing benchmarks should be transparently defined in consultation with market stakeholders.
6. A pilot implementation should be adopted in major soya-producing states before national scale-up.
7. A robust M&E framework with measurable indicators should be included.
5. CONCISE COMMITTEE CONCLUSION
The Committee concludes that the proposal is feasible, realistic, impactful, and policy-aligned with strong potential to reduce post-harvest losses, stabilize farmer incomes, and support national food security. Subject to the recommended refinements, the proposal is suitable for submission to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for consideration under special federal intervention programs.
REVISED DRAFT PROPOSAL
REQUEST FOR SPECIAL FEDERAL INTERVENTION FUNDS FOR DIRECT PURCHASES OF SOYA BEANS FROM FARMERS
1. RATIONALE
Soya beans are a strategic national commodity critical to food security, livestock feed production, agro-processing, and export earnings. Despite increased production, Nigerian farmers suffer post-harvest losses and price volatility due to weak aggregation systems and limited storage capacity. Direct federal intervention through structured commodity purchases at harvest will stabilize prices, protect farmers, and secure national supply.
2. OBJECTIVES OF THE INTERVENTION
- Prevent post-harvest losses of soya beans
- Stabilize farm-gate prices during peak harvest periods
- Improve farmer incomes and incentives for increased production
- Strengthen national food and feed security
- Support agro-industrial value chain development
3. SCOPE OF INTERVENTION
- Target smallholder soya bean farmers and cooperatives
- Focus on major producing states
- Implement seasonal direct purchases at guaranteed minimum prices
4. IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK
- Lead Agency: Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security
- Supporting Agencies: Strategic Grains Reserve, relevant parastatals
- Role of NBDF: Advocacy, farmer mobilization, coordination support, monitoring and reporting
5. PROCUREMENT MODEL
- Direct purchase through accredited cooperatives and aggregators
- Transparent pricing based on pre-announced benchmarks
- Quality grading and standardization at aggregation points
6. STORAGE AND UTILIZATION
- Storage within existing federal silos and certified private warehouses
- Utilization for food reserves, livestock feed programs, and agro-processing supply
7. GOVERNANCE AND OVERSIGHT
- Inter-agency oversight committee
- Independent monitoring and evaluation
- Regular reporting to relevant authorities
8. EXPECTED OUTCOMES
- Reduction in post-harvest losses
- Improved farmer income stability
- Enhanced national food security
- Strengthened confidence in agricultural policy interventions
Submitted by: Committee on Soya Beans Intervention Review committee with
Member
The Committee
Chairman
1. Dr. Raji Ahmed
Members
2. Alhaji Alasoadura Salami
3. Hajia Habiba Saidu
4. Ambassador Aliu Nda
5. General Shafa
Secretary
6. Barr. Issa Abubakar
