Federal Government Revamping wheat production through research support.

Introductions

At the inception of the Present Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina into the office, the eyes of many Nigerians were opened to negative impact of food importation with focus on wheat where about 360 dollar is spent annually for its import thereby negatively affecting local production to the tune of 80,000 metric tons against the expected 3.7 million required yearly.

Dr. Akinwunmi therefore promised succor to farmers through a new policy direction that will enhance production, processing and marketing through proactive research and other necessary mechanized support that will reduce import.

Towards this, the Federal Government in an effort to revert about US 4.0 BILLION spent on wheat consumption alone annually hereby established in 2012 Wheat Agricultural Transformation Agenda (WATA) as part of the key crops at the value chain with its coordination under Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI )

By this wheat repositioning mandate on LCRI, effort towards increasing productivity from 2.0 tonnes per hetare in 2013 to 6.0 ton per hectare in 2017 was embarked upon according to the Executive Director, Dr. Olabanji who said the national production from the current 80,000 tons now becomes a focal target towards making the crop a high income generation for farmers in the producing areas of Taraba, Plateau, and Cross River.

In the face of edible bread consumption and other bakery confectionaries, the increase production of local wheat to checkmate import from other countries, majorly America would impact positively on our economy as research effort of LCRI in collaboration with Federal Institute for Research Organization (FIRO) at Oshodi, Lagos have scientifically confirmed our wheat as more of high quality with comparative advantages over imported one. 

What this implies according to Dr. Olabanji was that about 635 billion naira equivalent of (USD4 Billion) annually expended on import wheat may have to be diverted to enhance local production especially with the dwindling of the fuel price to creating jobs for the farmers and youth through mechanized farming of production, processing and packaging for global market standard.

At the presentation of a newly registered improved wheat seeds called LCRIWHIT 5 and 6 to the Registrar/ Secretary, varietal release committee of National Centre For Genetic Resources Biotechnology (NACBRAB), the ED of LCRI said these new varieties is high yielding with good baking quality of global standard especially in the face of huge exorbitant bill on wheat import inspite of enormous potential of annual consumption of 6.2 billion loaves of bread being supplied locally by over 20,000 bakeries thereby  commended the effort of the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina who he said had supported his Institute towards making available technology that would enhance farmers’ productivity during the rain fed season and under irrigation condition saying ‘’ the minister has just released compact milling machines for the Institute to enhance commercial production of wheat flour for bakeries’’

He added that effort is on going to release nine new wheat improved  varieties in the next three years saying ‘’ the current national average yield of farmers of 1.2t/ha is less than half the average low income food deficit  of 3.0t/ha, and far below the highest yield in the developing world of 6.7 t/ha in Egypt. Research focus of the project in Nigeria is to release nine new wheat varieties in the next three years with potential yield under irrigation averaging 6-8 t/ha. The aim is to identify these high potential lines through the evaluation of large numbers of available and introduced germplasm, followed by confirmation of their high performance in Preliminary Yield Trials, advanced yield trials and multi-location on-farm testing”

The increase in the seed procurement between 2012 till date is a reflection of positive impact of the wheat value chain on farmers as production has been enhanced through the distribution of 3082.7 metric tons of improved seeds to about 62,000 farmers in ten growing states in 2013-2014 as against the total of 233 metric tons to 9,143 in 2012-2013.

‘’ The wheat value chain of the FMARD through the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES) procured a total of 233 metric tones of wheat seeds that are distributed free among 9,143 farmer in Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi, Zamfara, Bornu, Sokoto, Gombe and Yobe. However, this quantity has increased in 2013/2014 to 3,082.7 mt of wheat seeds distributed also free to 62,000 farmers in the ten growing state” said Dr. Olabanji.

Dr. Olabanji however opined that accelerated wheat production in the country will enhance national food and nutritional security cum job creation for the youth thereby suggested the need to address some challenges listed as follows

1.      Inadequate farm equipments

2.      Lack of micro credit facilities to the farmers

3.      Policy impediment that undermine adoption of new technologies

4.      Poor market arrangement and remuneration to farmers.

5.      Inadequate supply of good quality seeds

6.      Inadequate high yielding heat tolerant varieties

7.      Inadequate skill on the use of biotechnological tools.

8.      Inadequate water and inputs management.

9.      Weak research- extension- farmer linkage system