By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
This guide lists the top 10 states in Nigeria with the highest agricultural production. Agriculture contributes 24% to the country’s GDP and employs over 70% of the population. The country has 84 million hectares of arable land, but only 40% is cultivated.
Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of cassava and yam and a top producer of millet, rice, and cocoa. Yet, it imports $10 billion worth of agricultural products yearly, exposing gaps in local production.
Programs like the Anchor Borrowers Program (ABP) and the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Plan (NATIP) aim to boost productivity and cut imports.
Investments in rice mills across Kebbi, Jigawa, and Lagos have raised Nigeria’s milling capacity to over 3 million metric tons annually.
Here are the top 10 states in Nigeria with the highest agricultural produce:
| No | State | Major Crops |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kebbi | Rice, wheat, sorghum, millet, maize, cowpea, cotton |
| 2 | Benue | Soybeans, cassava, yams, rice, citrus fruits, mangoes |
| 3 | Kaduna | Maize, ginger, soybeans, shea butter, tobacco |
| 4 | Niger | Rice, maize, millet, yam, sugarcane, cashews, mangoes, shea butter nuts |
| 5 | Jigawa | Wheat, rice, millet, sorghum |
| 6 | Plateau | Maize, millet, sorghum, yams, potatoes, rice, fruits (e.g., tomatoes), acha |
| 7 | Nasarawa | Yam, maize, cassava, rice, sorghum, groundnut, sesame seeds |
| 8 | Kano | Tomatoes, sorghum, millet, maize, groundnuts, cotton |
| 9 | Zamfara | Millet, sorghum, maize, cowpeas, groundnuts, cotton |
| 10 | Borno | Maize, millet, sorghum, groundnuts, sesame seeds |