Issues, as Nigeria prepares for wheat conference

* Focus on seeds, NIRSAL and out-grower 

As the strategic committee on Nigerian Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme on wheat compact commenced preparation towards hosting the international conference scheduled for between July 24 and 26, 2019, issues of quality seeds, role of Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System (NIRSAL) and a structured out-growers commencement were well deliberations for way forward.

The chairman of the meeting who doubles as the Regional Director of the programme and also Executive Director of Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria, Prof. I.U Abubakar disclosed that the wheat output in the country had gone down and that there was need for it to be increased to meet local consumption level and checkmate or eliminate need for importation saying the essence of the meeting was to brainstorm on a way forward.

Prof. Abubakar who said Nigeria must present a position paper at the conference affirmed that TAAT strategic committee on wheat would upscale its activities to ensuring best agronomics practices using improved technologies with cleaner seeds for planting.

As some of the steps towards the success of the conference, the chairman hinted that seeds companies that were presently discouraged would be visited for proper integration, and that money for TAAT project should be released on time for implementation of the programme.

He and other stakeholders like farmers, millers, media, researchers and government officials observed the need to step up the operation of the strategic wheat committee to ensuring best agronomic use of modern technologies in all wheat production centres in Nigeria so as not to discourage farmers from cultivation pointing out that the low performance of NIRSAL wheat programme where less than 800 hectares out 7,000 of 20,000 harrowed were planted, with only 500 irrigated was very sad to hear.

The stakeholders jointly condemned the NIRSAL’s and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s anchor programme giving lower quantity of fertilizers to farmers against the prescription of scientists of six bags of NPK and one bag of urea saying this kind of approach would not enhance wheat acceleration to eliminate import bill in Nigeria.

Also, the stakeholders commended the efforts of Flour Millers Association of Nigeria for the supports to farmers both at inputs supply and as off takers to ensure sustainable production just as their contribution of inputs, water pumps and 50 threshers for postharvest processing was well noted.

The wheat out-grower scheme of Flour Mills of Nigeria Limited was also noted for its contribution to up-scaling of certified seeds production by farmers as two states of Kano and Jigawa planting would soon commence on 20 hectares each with expectation of three tons per hectare yield.

The consultant to the out-grower scheme, Dr. Oluwasina Olabanji at the warehouse point of Nigeria Flour Mill in Kano said this contribution would enhance wheat productivity in Nigeria as farmers would be given seeds and fertilizer to produce with immediate off.