Nigeria produced 1.23 million tonnes of potatoes in 2024, according to FAOSTAT. In 2010 the figure was 1.03 million tonnes. Output therefore grew by about 20% in 14 years.

The growth came from area, not from productivity. The average yield in 2024 was 3.76 tonnes per hectare, according to FAOSTAT. Dividing production by yield gives a harvested area of roughly 327,000 hectares.

The International Potato Center (CIP) gives a similar picture. In June 2023, CIP said Nigerian farmers harvest 3 to 4 tonnes per hectare. Two independent sources therefore agree on the scale of the yield gap.

A small crop in a large country

For comparison, FAOSTAT puts the 2024 yield at 30.1 t/ha in Egypt and 33.9 t/ha in Algeria. The average for Kenya was 9.7 t/ha. Nigerian yields are about one-eighth of North African levels.

Production is concentrated in the highlands. According to CIP, the main growing areas are the higher-elevation local government areas of Plateau State. Potatoes need cool nights to set tubers. Most of the lowland savanna is too hot for the crop.

Seed is the main bottleneck

Quality seed is the constraint named most often. The Collaborative Seed Programme, a Nigerian seed sector platform, reported limited access to quality seed at a national webinar in February 2024. Farmers often replant their own tubers for many seasons. Viruses and bacterial wilt build up in such seed.

In June 2023, Nigeria released four open-access varieties from CIP breeding lines. They are called Unica, Juriya, Babban and Kyau. The National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) led the release with CIP. GIZ Nigeria funded the work. CIP described the varieties as high-yielding, disease-resistant and heat-tolerant.

New varieties only help if clean seed reaches farmers. Nigeria still lacks a large certified seed multiplication chain. Storage is also weak, so farmers often sell at harvest when prices are lowest.

Why it matters

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country. The gap between 3.8 t/ha and North African yields shows the size of the opportunity. Seed companies, storage investors and processors could all benefit if yields double. But the gains depend on a working seed system, not only on imported varieties.

Photo: Irish potatoes, the common name for potatoes in Nigeria (illustrative). Bembety / Wikimedia Commons, CC0