FG releases new improved wheat variety for demand quality

LCRI promises to tackle plantable material

The Federal Government (FG) National Crop Varieties and Livestock Breeds Committee domiciled at the National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB) has just released and registered a new improved wheat variety (LACRI WHIT-11) (IMAM (ATTILA 7). The official release of the seed took place in Ibadan, recently.

 This improved seed being first ever demand-driven wheat candidate of farmers and flour millers was jointly presented by the Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI), Maiduguri and International Centre for Agricultural Research (ICARDA), and it was unanimously approved for registration and release by the National Committee under the chairmanship of Chief Oladosu Awoyemi for its enhanced bakery quality and increased yield ability.

Sources close to flour millers indicate that millions of naira had been set aside for the off take of the production of the variety for its enhanced potential in bakeries and other confectionaries across board.

A position paper presented to the National Committee on  varieties registration and release by the Technical Sub- Committee on crops headed by Prof. Olusoji Olafajo, it was stated that ‘’ on station trials, multi- locational variety trials, on-farm trials and end use quality evaluations show IMAM (ATTILA 7) to be very promising, and with the rapidly increasing acceptance of this variety by wheat farmers in Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, and Sokoto states’’, it was unanimously agreed that the variety be recommended for release.

Also, a telephone conversation with the national President of Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Salem corroborated the demand-driven potential of the released variety saying ‘’ it is we farmers that demand for its official release and registration because of its yield and enhanced bakery potential as rightly demanded by the flour millers ’’

Meanwhile the Lake Chad Research Institute has promised to take a proactive step towards tackling the observation raised on plantable wheat materials in the hand of farmers by one of the officials of National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), Mr. E. J Zidafamor who said the issue of non-release of breeder and foundational seeds towards enhanced wheat seeds system are unexpected of LCRI.

Mr.  Zidafamor  has queried the distortion of wheat seeds system through non-release of breeders and foundational seeds that have resulted to allowing plantable materials  getting into the hands farmers instead of the certified seeds saying this would not help in the development of efficient seeds productivity in Nigeria adding that ‘’ I am believing and hoping that this new variety that is released will not end to be plantable materials to the farmers as I urge the committee to look at the matter and appeal to the team that the 50kg that is required must be given. We are desirous to see the wheat seeds system grows rather than being politicised.’’  

Responding, the former executive Director, LCRI Dr. Oluwasina Olabanji said that what is being referred to as plantable materials was not the making of his Institute saying wheat is a pollinated crop that can be recycled by farmers, coupled with the fact that no private seed company producing it until the matter was taken up by the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) with about 12 seeds company were supported with both breeder and foundational seeds by the LCRI.

Said he: ‘’ about ten years ago, there were no single company in Nigeria producing certified wheat seeds on commercial basis. It was during Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) that fund was made available under the wheat value chains that we were able to encourage seed companies to go into wheat production. Today we have 12 seeds companies that are producing it. Lake Chad gave them breeders and foundational seeds. We know that wheat is a pollinated crop that can reproduce itself. So seeds are continuously recycled among wheat farmers which the NASC officials will regard as impurity or plantable materials’’

Olabanji stressed that wheat was an  outstanding political crop that dogged efforts had to be made to get to this level, and which must be well commended saying ‘’ the progress we have made so far is with effort, dedication and rigidity because there are some people who do not want Nigeria to produce wheat. We are happy today because our major challenge as regards market has been solved as flour millers who had once declined our wheat are very ready to off take them with specific demand for this particular variety that is just released as they have attested to its enhanced bakery potential and yield after the outcome of the meeting with the Central Bank of Nigeria. The Nigeria Flour mills, the Honey Well and the Dangote flour mills all say that Nigeria wheat is as good as imported ones.’’

He stressed further that insecurity in the region had hindered effective performance of production on large mass of available land at the local government levels in Bornu state, asking rhetorically ‘’ how many of you can go and stand to produce seeds in Bornu under the threat of Boko Haram? We have been moving from one state to the other to lease 4-5 hectares for cultivations.’’

He promised that all efforts to phase out the issue of plantable materials for improved seeds system was already put in place with readiness to carry along NASC who has the mandate to ensure certified seeds to farmers.