FG to Adopt Technology for Wheat Value Chain
The Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Mohammad Sabo Nanono has stated that the transformation of wheat production would be achievable by the adoption of new farming technologies and robust synerg among all Stakeholders in the wheat Value chain. He said this would reduce importation, enhance food security, reduce poverty, create jobs and conserve scarce foreign exchange for the country.
Speaking during the National Wheat Stakeholders Workshop held at the Tahir Hotel, Kano, Kano State on Friday 13 November, 2020,Alhaji Mohammad Sabo Nanono, who was represented by the Director, Federal Department of Agriculture, Mrs. Karima Babangida stated that the Ministry through the Wheat Value Chain has put in place various measures to increase wheat production and productivity as well as reduce the import bill.
Alhaji Sabo Nanono informed that ” the Ministry procured 30 MT of breeder seeds which will translate to 1,650 MT of foundation seeds, 50 MT of Foundation seeds which will also translate to 2,500 MT of Certified seeds and 326 MT of certified wheat seeds which will give 11,410 MT of grains in the 2020/2021 season. This effort was expected to result to the addition of 15,560 MT of wheat to the national food basket”.
The Minister further said that “other interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria, Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN) and Transformation for Africa Agricultural Technologies (TAAT) Wheat Compact project to radically transform Nigeria`s wheat sector and boost local production”.
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He Noted that ” as the country`s urban populace consumption pattern is greatly in favour of wheat and its derivatives such as pasta, noodles, flour, biscuits, baby foods and confectionary resulting to major gap between the production and national consumption, as well as widening import bills, it is therefore expected of all of us here to come up with how Nigeria can meet her wheat demand rather than importation”.
Nanono tasked the Stakeholders to see the workshop as a national assignmentI “therefore I urge you to give it nothing but the best that it deserves”.
He appreciated “the FMAN for the support they have been rendering to our wheat farmers. I understand FMAN distributed 50 multipurpose threshers, water pumps and improved seeds to our wheat farmers over the years. I hope they will continue with this support to our farmers”.
In his remarks,the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuma commended the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration for the various policies in the Agricultural sector and he also stated that the Stakeholders Forum is critical towards achieving self reliance on food production especially Wheat ” there is no better time than now to discuss and focus on wheat production in Nigeria “.
Dr. Yusuf Gawuma urged the Stakeholders to decide on how to move the Wheat production to the next level by targeting better seeds, new technologies and increase Internally Generated Revenue.
In his goodwill message, the National President, Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria ( WFAN), Alhaji Salim Saleh Mohammed lauded the present administration’s policy in the Agricultural Sector especially in the Wheat Value Chain and called on Government to provide more intervention funds for Wheat farmers.
The Director, Federal Department of Agriculture in the Ministry, Mrs. Karima Babangida, represented by the Deputy Director, Cereals Division, Mrs Fatima Aliyu urged the Stakeholders to ensure that the Workshop developed proactive measures to fast track the availability of quality seeds for Wheat Farmers and boost production of Wheat Value Chains in Nigeria.
Ezeaja Ikemefuna
Chief Information Officer
