IMPLEMENTATION OF AGRICULTURAL POLICIES IN NIGERIA: AN ASSESSMENT OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT POLICIES ON RICE PRODUCTION (2015-2019)

Abstract

O v e r t h e y e a rs, s t u d i e s h a v e h i g h l i g h t e d i m p l e m e n t a t i o n g a p a s
thesignicantprimarybarrier to the policy-making process in Nigeria, and this is
especially visible in the agricultural policies of the country. This failure has culminated into
food insecurity and retarded economic growth. Against this background, this study
explored the agricultural policies formulated under the administration of President
Buhari (2015-2019) with a focus on rice production policies.The study population is One
Hundred and Forty-One (141) registered rice farmers in Ilorin South Local Government
Area. The Data gathered through the administration of questionnaire were analysed
using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and Chi-square was used for the
test of hypothesis.The analysis of the data proved the Null hypothesis (H ) wrong and O
proved Alternate hypothesis (H ) right. This result shows thatBuhari's administrationhas the I
capacity for the effective implementation of agricultural production policies in Nigeria.
The signicant ndings are that the government has not been effective in the
implementation of agricultural policies as rice is still being smuggled into the country. The
paper recommended thatthe government should put in place measures to police the
borders effectivelyto overcome this challenge.