👥 Section 1 — Your Farmer Profile
💰 Section 2 — Loan Request
Check which Nigerian agricultural loan programs you qualify for — from BOA at 5% to commercial banks. Get instant repayment estimates in Naira.
In Nigeria, agriculture contributes about 24% of GDP, employs roughly 35% of the labour force, the average farm is around 0.5 ha — so plan budgets, wages, and repayments around smallholder cash-flow cycles.
| Agriculture share of GDP | ~24% |
|---|---|
| Arable land | 34,000,000 ha |
| Irrigated share | ~1% |
| Main rainy season | April to October |
| Main food crops | cassava, yam, maize, rice, sorghum, millet |
| Main export crops | cocoa, sesame, cashew, rubber |
| Region | Annual rainfall | Major crops |
|---|---|---|
| South-West (Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti) | 1500 mm | cocoa, cassava, maize, yam |
| South-East (Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia, Ebonyi) | 1800 mm | cassava, yam, rice, oil palm |
| South-South (Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo) | 2500 mm | oil palm, cassava, plantain, rice |
| North-Central (Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Nasarawa, Plateau, FCT) | 1200 mm | yam, soybean, rice, sorghum |
| North-East (Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba) | 700 mm | millet, sorghum, groundnut, cowpea |
| North-West (Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Jigawa) | 800 mm | sorghum, millet, rice, maize |
Country context from the AfroTools agriculture dataset — planning reference, not agronomic advice. Confirm with local extension services.
Nigeria has one of Africa's most active agricultural finance ecosystems. The Bank of Agriculture (BOA), recently recapitalized with ₦250 billion, remains the primary lender for smallholders at just 5% per year. The CBN's Anchor Borrowers Programme has disbursed over ₦1 trillion to more than 4 million farmers, linking smallholders to commodity buyers. NIRSAL's guarantee scheme has unlocked billions in commercial bank lending by absorbing up to 75% of lender risk. AGSMEIS offers 9% loans to agri-entrepreneurs who complete mandatory training.
Visit your nearest BOA branch with a valid ID (NIN or BVN), a simple business plan, and your farm records. BOA's officers will verify your farm and process the application within 4-8 weeks. BOA provides loans starting from ₦100,000 at just 5% per year — the lowest rate available to Nigerian smallholders.
The ABP is a CBN scheme that links smallholder farmers to commodity buyers (anchor companies like mills and processors). Farmers receive inputs (seed, fertilizer) on credit at 9% per year and repay through their harvest proceeds — the anchor company deducts the loan from what it pays for the crop. You must be in a farmer group linked to an anchor company to qualify.
Yes. BOA offers loans without formal collateral for smaller amounts (guarantors accepted). The ABP requires no collateral — your membership in a cooperative group linked to an anchor serves as security. AGSMEIS requires entrepreneurship training rather than collateral. Microfinance banks use group-lending to replace collateral requirements.
NIRSAL (Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing for Agricultural Lending) doesn't lend directly. It guarantees up to 75% of agricultural loans made by commercial banks. This means if your loan defaults, the bank recovers 75% from NIRSAL — making banks willing to lend to farmers. Ask any commercial bank about their NIRSAL-backed agri-products.
Data sources: CBN Agricultural Credit Guidelines, Bank of Agriculture, NIRSAL, NMFB. Interest rates as of 2025-2026.