The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, CON, has held discussions with representatives of Dimitra on opportunities to expand digital agriculture, strengthen agricultural value chains and develop carbon credit projects in Nigeria.
The meeting, held in Rome, Italy, focused on leveraging digital technology to improve agricultural productivity, enhance supply chain traceability and strengthen farmer data management across key agricultural commodities.
The discussions covered commodities such as cocoa, coffee, rubber, soybean, palm oil, cashew and maize, which play important roles in Nigeria’s agricultural economy.
Participants explored how Dimitra’s digital solutions could help Nigerian farmers improve productivity, monitor agricultural activities and meet emerging international standards for sustainability and traceability.
The meeting also examined the role of technology in helping Nigerian agricultural producers comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which introduces requirements for certain commodities and products entering the European Union market.
Dimitra shared its experience in applying digital tools to agricultural production, highlighting a project in Suriname where technology reportedly contributed to a 45 per cent increase in pineapple yields.
The example demonstrated the potential of digital agriculture to improve farm productivity and support data-driven decision-making among farmers.
Beyond digital agriculture, the meeting explored opportunities for developing carbon credit projects in Nigeria, including the financial models, long-term commitments and implementation challenges associated with transitioning farmers to regenerative agricultural practices.
Participants emphasised the need to protect farmers from potential income losses and reduced yields during the transition to regenerative agriculture.
They also stressed that carbon credit initiatives should deliver measurable benefits to farming communities while supporting environmental sustainability and improving farmers’ livelihoods.
The discussions further highlighted the importance of establishing suitable investment and revenue-sharing arrangements to ensure that farmers benefit fairly from carbon projects.
At the end of the meeting, both parties agreed to continue discussions through a proposed consultancy workshop and a review of an anonymised carbon project case study.
The follow-up engagements are expected to clarify investment requirements, revenue-sharing arrangements and implementation models that could be adapted to Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
The engagement forms part of efforts to explore technology-driven solutions and innovative financing mechanisms to strengthen agricultural productivity, promote sustainable farming practices and improve the competitiveness of Nigeria’s agricultural value chains.
