Nigeria’s agricultural sector recorded a 3.15 per cent year-on-year growth in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), rising to N11.87 trillion in the first quarter of 2026 (Q1 2026) from N11.51 trillion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The NBS disclosed this in its GDP report for the first quarter of 2026, noting that crop production remained the largest contributor to agricultural output during the period under review.
According to the report, crop production contributed N8.9 trillion to the sector in Q1 2026, representing a 3.39 per cent increase from N8.6 trillion recorded in the same period of 2025.
The livestock sub-sector also posted growth, rising by 2.20 per cent to N1.57 trillion from N1.54 trillion in Q1 2025. Similarly, forestry expanded by 4.14 per cent to N589.88 billion from N566.42 billion, while the fishing sub-sector grew by 1.72 per cent to N792.92 billion from N779.49 billion during the review period.
The NBS stated that the agricultural sector comprises four major sub-activities—crop production, livestock, forestry, and fishing—and recorded a nominal growth rate of 9.93 per cent year-on-year in Q1 2026.
The bureau noted that crop production remained the major driver of the sector, accounting for 66.76 per cent of the overall nominal value of agricultural output in the first quarter of the year.
Despite the growth, the sector recorded a quarter-on-quarter contraction of 36.37 per cent in nominal terms and contributed 18.11 per cent to Nigeria’s nominal GDP in Q1 2026. This was lower than the 19.40 per cent contribution recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2025 and the 25.67 per cent contribution recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025.
In real terms, the agricultural sector grew by 3.15 per cent year-on-year, representing an increase of 3.08 percentage points compared to the growth rate recorded in Q1 2025. However, the figure was 0.85 percentage points lower than the 4.00 per cent growth recorded in the preceding quarter.
The sector also declined by 35.24 per cent on a quarter-on-quarter basis in real terms.
According to the NBS, agriculture contributed 23.16 per cent to aggregate real GDP in the first quarter of 2026, lower than the 23.33 per cent recorded in Q1 2025 and the 28.66 per cent contribution posted in the fourth quarter of 2025.
