National Agricultural Policy Objectives

The purpose of agricultural policy is the development of favorable and sustainable guidelines for the promotion of efficient agricultural practices that will guarantee food security provide employment for the citizens, raw material for all agro-based industries as well as to earn foreign exchange.

Another important area is to know about the national agricultural policy objectives. The objectives of national development generally and that of agricultural sector specifically are usually reflected in the national plans and budgets.

There are specific objectives of agricultural and food policies generally and there are those for the sub-sectors of agriculture. This article will address the national agricultural policy objectives.

National Agricultural Policy Objectives

Policy has a strong philosophical underpinning.

Government does not simply choose what to do or what not to do in a haphazard manner. The vision and mission of governments as well as the fundamental philosophy of state guide policy. Agriculture is an important and basic sector of the national economy.

Therefore, agricultural sector objectives must derive from and be consistent with the overall objective of the national economy. The objective of any nation represents the fundamental goal of society.

The fundamental goal of the Nigerian society is to establish: A united, strong and self-reliant nation, a great and dynamic economy, a just and egalitarian society, a land of bright and full opportunities for all citizens, and a free and democratic society Agricultural sector objectives must be consistent with these layers of objectives.

The role of the economist in policy analysis is to point to policies that will achieve the goals of governments with the least expenditure of resources. The objectives of national economic development are usually reflected in the national plans and budgets. Quantitative estimates and targets are usually provided in these documents to guide the realization of the objectives.

The agricultural sector plans and budgets reflect the long and short-term policy objectives for the sector. These plans and budgets therefore represent instruments for realizing agricultural sector objectives.

The typical objectives of the agricultural sector of a developing country are:

1. The provision of adequate food and nutrition for the growing population.

2. Provision of raw materials for industries; acting as a foreign exchange-earner for the country.

3. Providing employment and income-earning opportunities for the country‘s material and non-material resources, providing markets for industrial products.

In general playing other strategic roles especially in periods of economic crises. These objectives can be categorized into food and non-food policy objectives consistent with basic subdivision of the agricultural sector.

In Nigeria, the ultimate goal of agricultural policy is the attainment of self-sustaining growth in all sub-sectors of agriculture as well as the realization of the structural transformation necessary for the overall socio-economic development of the rural areas.

Specific objectives of food policy

The specific objectives of food policy which are essentially geared towards ensuring food security for a nation include:

1. To ensure adequate food supplies for the growing population of the country.

2. To ensure reliable food supplies for the growing population as well as promote necessary supply flexibility to meet national food emergencies or crises.

3. To attain self-sufficiency in basic food commodities.

4. To ensure the efficient storage, processing, preservation and distribution of a nation‘s marketed agricultural surplus.

5. To guarantees a fair and reasonable return on investment (or income) for farmers and other operators in the food system.

6. To encourage the adoption of appropriate and sustainable technologies in agricultural production, processing and distribution system.

7. To promote stability in the prices of agricultural products and markets.

8. To ensure equitable distribution of income among farmers and other operators in the food production, storage, processing and distribution system.

9. To stimulate, develop and encourage an expansion of the country‘s food export capacity and capability while promoting the international competitiveness of her food exports.

10. To protect the domestic food sector from unfavorable international policies and practices.

11. To improve the quality of life of rural dwellers and farmers.

12. To promote increased production of agricultural raw materials to meet the growing needs of a growing industrial sector.

The non-food objectives are generally geared towards ensuring that agriculture meets the non-food needs of a nation, such as providing raw materials, employment, foreign exchange, and markets. 

However, most of these objectives may be achieved in the process of meeting the food for the nation, farmers gain income and employment, and when these foods are exported, foreign exchange is earned for the nation.

Also, most intermediate food products and crops (e.g. maize, cassava, cowpea, tomatoes, etc) are used as raw materials for nation‘s agro-allied industries. 

However, there might be need for some form of balancing of objectives of agricultural policy in instances where particular crops or resources serve both food and non-food purposes in order to minimize conflict objectives.

For instance, the objective of increased production of maize to meet staple food needs could become conflicting and competitive with similar objective to increase maize production as raw material for agro-allied industries (e. g. feed mill) or for export.

Where this happens, production technology, the principle of comparative advantage, crop diversification etc, could be employed as complementary policies.

All said and done, the provision of food is the primary aim the agricultural sector and food policy objectives will in important ways help the realization of the other objectives of the sector.

Conclusion on National Agricultural Policy Objectives

The specific objectives of food policy which are essentially geared towards ensuring food security for a nation.  The national agricultural policy, therefore, at this end we believe you must have understood the specific agricultural and food policy objectives.

The fundamental goal of the Nigerian society is to establish: A united, strong and self-reliant nation, a great and dynamic economy, a just and egalitarian society, a land of bright and full opportunities for all citizens, and a free and democratic society.

The specific objectives of food policy which are essentially geared towards ensuring food security for a nation include:

To ensure adequate food supplies for the growing population of the country, to ensure reliable food supplies for the growing population as well as promote necessary supply flexibility to meet national food emergencies or crises, to attain self-sufficiency in basic food commodities, to ensure the efficient storage, processing, preservation and distribution of a nation‘s marketed agricultural surplus,  to guarantees a fair and reasonable return on investment (or income) for farmers and other operators in the food system, to promote stability in the prices of agricultural products and markets, to ensure equitable distribution of income among farmers and other operators in the food production, storage, processing and distribution system, to stimulate, develop and encourage an expansion of the country‘s food export capacity and capability while promoting the international competitiveness of her food exports and to protect the domestic food sector from unfavorable international policies and practices.