Wheat: Nigeria report for US SARD-SC ready

Wheat

The Nigeria report on wheat productivity by socio economics analysts at the value chains must have been presented recently at Niamey, Niger Republic annual review meeting for 2016-17 planning and review activities for Support to Agricultural Research for Development of Strategic Crops in Africa (SARD-SC)alongside with other countries in Africa.

Nigeria report presented on socio- economic for evaluation at the wheat value chain productivity in the West Africa hubs attracted many stakeholders from both public and private sectors at Kano where final ratification for submission at Niamey was carried out to meet the annual review and planning of the 2016-17 SARD-SC.

 This project is being funded by the African Development Bank, while International Centre for Agricultural Research (ICARD) and Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI), Maiduguri are the implementing agencies in this region. 

The validation meeting that was declared opened by the Permanent secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resource, Kano state, Hajiya Binta Rabi’u who admonished all the participants that includes farmers, scientists, extension officers, millers, seed companies, agro dealers and bakers to be very participatory in the ratification of the final report on behalf of Nigeria and West African hub saying her state government has been very supportive to agricultural development especially in wheat production.

Hajiya Rabi’u ‘s position was well supported by the Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria, Kano state chapter chairman, Mallam Farouk Rabi’u Mudi who also  commended the Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje for his support for Agriculture saying the achievement recorded on the crop was greatly attributed to his complimentary assistance through soft loan at zero interest and two wheat cleaning machines for processing.

The chairman, Mallam Mudi pointed that flour millers have already started off take of this produce for further processing into flour as about 1,500 bags of clean wheat has been given as the second delivery is going through cleaning for pick up.

Speaking on the importance of the validation meeting for the final ratification of the socio economic report of the wheat productivity and consumption in West African hubs, the Executive Director, LCRI Dr. OluwasinaOlabanji said it was part of what would be presented at the Niamey SARD-SC review and planning for the year 2016-17 wheat component adding there is need to present a well ratified report for the country and West Africa towards SARD-SC 2016-2017 projection.

Dr. Olabanji said that the Niamey, Niger Republic meeting would focus on the presentation of the wheat project activities in the East and West African hubs low land added that the socio economic report, technologies generation and dissemination cum gender are going to be presented for 2016-17 wheat planning and review towards food security.

Wheat consumption is rising rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa and imports account for over 70% of the region’s needs. Change is needed to protect ordinary Africans from the vagaries of global commodity markets and strengthen the continent’s wheat security – without change, the Continent’s population will remain vulnerable to sudden food price hikes.   

Nigeria, for instance, currently imports four million metric tons of wheat, spending $4 billion on the commodity every year – a figure that is expected to reach $10 billion by 2030 as Nigerians are predicted to consume over 10 million tons of imported wheat to satisfy their growing demand for non-traditional foods like pasta, noodles, and bread.

In Africa we cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. The status quo – the ever-expanding demand-supply gap – is unsustainable and the prime cause of many societal problems, including widespread hunger and periodic violence.

ICARDA, the national and CGIAR partners are attempting to address these challenges through a region-wide initiative that aims to boost domestic production – seeing this strategy as the principal means of tackling Africa’s rising import dependence.

Leading the wheat component of Support to Agricultural Research for Development of Strategic Crops in Africa (SARD-SC), managed by the African Development Bank, ICARDA is managing an integrated strategy that incorporates the following activities: 

      

-          The development and dissemination of improved high-yielding wheat varieties

-          Fast-track seed multiplication programs

-          The promotion of proven technologies and farming practices

-          Policy intervention packages to create the right enabling environment.

Recent impacts suggest that wheat production in sub-Saharan Africa has significant potential. The impressive performance of improved varieties of high-yielding, heat-tolerant wheat – now generating 5 to 6 t/ha in Kano and Borno States – has convinced Nigerian policymakers to invest in domestic wheat production.

The application of integrated pest management – a practical and environmentally-friendly approach to pest control which combines an extensive range of techniques to control and prevent the growth and spread of pest populations – is also generating positive results, for instance boosting wheat yields in Sudan and reducing farmer dependence on unsustainable chemical pest management strategies.

Researchers have also identified potential high-yielding, heat-tolerant wheat varieties for further distribution to smallholder farmers – over 300 in Sudan, 12 in Eritrea, 8 in Kenya, and 32 in Zambia.

Complementing the identification of potential wheat varieties, SARD-SC researchers are exploring agronomic options to drive production gains – including conservation agriculture and crop rotation in Ethiopia, and optimum seed and fertilizer rates in Sudan and Zimbabwe.

Finally, in order to determine the main constraints holding-back the adoption of new technologies, socio-economic studies have also been conducted with rural communities in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Sudan, helping to improve delivery mechanisms. A key constraint that emerged was an inadequate supply of improved seed – which could be overcome through the development of on-farm, low-cost seed production and storage facilities.