List of government agencies in Nigeria under Agriculture

 

A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administration. There is a notable variety of agency types. Although usage differs, a government agency is normally distinct both from a department or ministry, and other types of public body established by government.

The functions of an agency are normally executives in character since different types of organizations (such as commissions) are most often constituted in an advisory role, this distinction is often blurred in practice however, it is not allowed.

A government agency may be established by either a national government or a state government within a federal system. The term is not normally used for an organization created by the powers of a local government body.

Agencies can be established by legislation or by executive powers.

The autonomy, independence, and accountability of government agencies also vary widely.

             

The following is a list of government agencies in Nigeria under agriculture

1.   The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN)

2.   National Agricultural Extension, Research and Liaison Services (NAERLS)

3.   National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI)

4.   Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC)

5.   National Root Crops Research Institute (NCRI)

6.   Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria

7.   Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research

8.   Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) 

9.   Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) 

10.  National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT)

 

1. The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN): The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) in Oyo State, Nigeria, is a cocoa research institute established by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Nigeria Research Institute Act of 1964. The act established research institutes for cocoa, palm oil, coffee and cola.

The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) was established to promote and improve the productivity of cocoa and its product in Nigeria and globally. CRIN was originally part of the West Africa Cocoa Research Institute (WACRI) based in Tafo, Ghana.

Cocoa and its product serve as a source of income and employment for farmers in the cocoa producing states of Nigeria.

The primary function of CRIN is to conduct high quality research in cocoa, kola, and coffee as well as to provide facilities for teaching and research with these agricultural products.

2. National Agricultural Extension, Research and Liaison Services (NAERLS):

NAERLS is one of the 18 National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources. The Institute is responsible for development, collation, evaluation and dissemination of proven agricultural innovations and to research on extension methodologies and policy. The extension and research activities of the Institute take into account the long-term ecological, economic and social consequences of changes in rural life and linkages. These activities are conducted in partnership with the NARIs and international collaborators. NAERLS contributes to national development through technology transfer and adoption process research, extension publications, electronic media packages, and training. Its expertise spans the social sciences, agricultural engineering, animal science, food technology, veterinary sciences, agronomy, soil science, fisheries. The Institute adopts the multidisciplinary approach to problem solving.

NAERLS has 6 programme areas namely: Crop and Forestry, Livestock and Fisheries, Agricultural Engineering and Irrigation, Agricultural Extension and Economics, Food Technology and Rural Home Economics, and Agricultural Media. The Institute has 5 Zonal Offices, one in each of the 5 agro-ecological zones of the country – Umudike (South-east), Ibadan (South-west), Maiduguri (North-east), Badeggi (North-central), Zaria (North-west).

3. National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI): To conduct research, disease surveillance, diagnosis, development and production of vaccines and biological for the control of animal and zoonotic disease, applying modern technology based on international best practices. To be the Apex Veterinary Research Institute in Africa driven by excellence in Research, Diagnosis, Vaccine Development and Production.

4. Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC): Prior to the establishment of NAIC, Nigerian farmers suffered various losses on their investment and had no means of going back to production. The frustration made them to move into cities in droves in search of easy means of livelihood. This situation led to depletion of farming populace, which was a serious threat to food security. The Federal Government was disturbed by the ugly trend, hence the establishment of NAIC to address the need of farmers.

The need for a specialized Agricultural Insurance Company to provide insurance cover to farmers was informed by Government's concern over the vacuum created due to the unwillingness of conventional Insurers to accept Agricultural risks, which they considered too risky.
This led to the establishment of the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Scheme on 15th of November, 1987.The implementation of the Scheme was initially vested in the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Company Limited, which was later incorporated in June, 1988 but later turned into a Corporation in 1993 by the enabling Act 37 of 1993.
Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation is therefore a wholly-owned Federal Government of Nigeria insurance company set up specifically to provide Agricultural risks insurance cover to Nigerian farmers

5. National Root Crops Research Institute (NCRI): National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike started on 1st January, 1923 on a 20 hectare land, as a British colonial Provincial Experimental farm, under the Colonial Nigeria Department of Agriculture with headquarters at Moor Plantation Ibadan. Following Nigerian regionalization of Government Departments in 1954, it came under the Eastern Region Ministry of Agriculture, supervised by the Director of Agriculture at Enugu. In 1955, the School of Agriculture was established at the same location. The Provincial Experimental Farm or Research Station became known as the Eastern Nigeria Agricultural Research Station in 1956. Both the research station and the school were amalgamated in 1965 and called Agricultural Research and Training Station (ARTS), Umudike. On 1st April, 1972 the then Federal Military government of Nigeria took over this station and renamed it Federal Agricultural Research and Training Station (FARTS), Umudike.

The Station was upgraded to a commodity Research Institute in 1975 by Agricultural Research Institutes Decree 33, 1973 and Research Institutes (Establishment etc) Order 1975, and renamed National Root Crops Research Institute. The Institute came under the aegis of National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) by Decree No. 5 of January 1977. In 1980, it was transferred to the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. From 1986, the Institute came under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMANR). In 1992, the Institute’s Federal College of Agriculture was directed to relocate to Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, and its premises were taken over by Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. In 2006, the Institute and its Federal College of Agriculture came under the supervision of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Abuja; an agency under the FMANR.

The Institute’s headquarters at Umudike is strategically located at about 8 km South east of Umuahia (Abia State capital) along the Umuahia-IkotEkpene Federal Road. By road, it is 130km North of Port-Harcourt sea port, 135km South of Enugu International Airport and less than 70km East of Owerri Cargo Airport. It is situated on latitude 5¹/₂^oN and on longitude 7¹/₂^oE and 122m above sea level.

The headquarters at Umudike originally occupied an area of about 419 hectares while its outstations spreading across the country occupy a total land area of over 1,000 hectares.

6. Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria: The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. Established in 1975, IFPRI. Currently has more than 600 employees working in over 50countries. It is a research center of CGIAR, a worldwide partnership engaged in agricultural research for development.

IFPRI’S vision is a world free of hunger and malnutrition. Its mission is to provide research-based policy solutions that sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition.

Global, regional, and national food systems face major challenges and require fundamental transformations. More than ever, responding to these challenges will require a systems-oriented, multidisciplinary approach to reshape food systems so they work for all people sustainably. 

7. Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research: The Nigerian institute for oceanography and Marine research was established in November 1975 by the research institutes establishment order 1775. The headquarters of the institute is located on Wilmot, River State point, off Ahmadu  Bello way, victoria island, lagos.she also has outstations at Bulguma (River State)  Aluu (Rivers State), Sapele (Delta State) and Badore (Lagos). The main research departments in the Institute are: Aquaculture, Biological Oceanography, Biotechnology, fisheries Resources, Fish, Technology and product development, Marine, Geology/ Geophysics and Physical/ Chemical Oceanography. There are also service departments and section which include: administration, Finance and supply, Information and Documentations, Protocol unit, Planning unit, planning, Technical Services, staff clinic.

 

8.  Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR): Agricultural scientists and researchers had worked very hard (and continue to work hard) to develop and release improved seed varieties that are high-yielding, climate-resilient, disease-resistant, drought-tolerant, nutrient-rich and adaptable to our climatic condition. Additionally, good agricultural practices have been developed through the diligent efforts of agronomists (and other agricultural scientists) to improve agricultural productivity and enhance the profitability of farming among smallholder farmers.
However, a lot of smallholder farmers as well as agricultural extension agents are not aware of the existence of majority of the improved seed varieties and good agricultural practices because of the difficulty in accessing up-to-date and valuable information about the agricultural innovations. 

The low level of awareness about agricultural innovations (including improved seed varieties and good agricultural practices) among smallholder farmers is a critical factor that hinders the adoption of such innovations that can substantially boost agricultural productivity and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
Therefore, the Nigerian Seed Portal Initiative (www.seedportal.org.ng) was implemented as a 2-year agricultural development project by a team of two agricultural scientists (an Agricultural Extension Specialist and a Seed Specialist) to address the aforementioned challenges, towards contributing to the improvement of the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and the development of the Nigerian agricultural sector.
The seed portal project commenced in May, 2018 and phased out in June, 2020. The seed portal platform (www.seedportal.org.ng) will continue to be available online for some period of time so that everyone can easily access seed-related information at any time.

9.    Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS):  is a regulatory agency under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It was created for the harmonization of Plants, Veterinary and Aquatic resources (fisheries) Quarantine in Nigeria to promote and regulate sanitary (animal and fisheries health) and phytosanitary (plant health) measures in connection with the import and export of agricultural products with a view to minimizing the risk to agricultural economy, food safety and the environment. The main objective of NAQS is to prevent the introduction, establishment and spread of animal and zoonotic diseases as well as pests of plants and fisheries including their products. NAQS also undertakes emergency protocol to control or manage new pest incursion or disease outbreak in collaboration with key stakeholders. NAQS ensures that our agricultural exports meet with international standards in line with International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Office International des Epizootics (OIE) representing the World Organization for Animal Health, WTO/Sanitary and International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and SPS conditions of the importing countries. Its operations are guided by the enabling legislation enacted by the National Assembly and SPS regulations and schedules.

10.  National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT): The National Horticultural Research Institute (Headquarter); located in Ibadan was established in 1975 with the assistance of United Nations Development Programme in conjunction with food and Agricultural Organization as fruits and vegetables research and demonstration centre.

It acquired the status of a national institute in June 1976. The Institute’s headquarter is situated on a 350 hectares of land at Jericho Reservation Area, Idi-Ishin, Ibadan, in the rain forest agro-ecological zone of South Western Nigeria. To give a national outlook, the institute has two substations located in Mbato-Okigwe, Imo state in South Eastern Nigeria and the other at Bagauda, Kano state.