Wheat seeds importation, not to under mind local production, says former ED LCRI

The former Executive Director (ED), Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI) Dr.Oluwasina Olabanji has said that the recently imported 1,000 metric tons of quality wheat seeds by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and  Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (NFMAN) from Mexico  was not meant to spite the local varieties multiplication process , but rather to step up the wheat programme expansion towards increased cultivation from the present 250,000 hectares to 1.2 million in the country .

 Dr. Olabanji in a telephone chat with Food Farm News yesterday pointed that the reality of seeds scarcity in view of increasing consumption of  wheat produced confectionery by Nigerians  can no longer depend of our local production without importing some quantities to upgrade the shortfall, adding that the  import was not in any way meant to undermine the acceleration of local wheat multiplication production already going on in the country.

He stressed that  CBN intervention programme to meet local consumption demand against importation where huge foreign exchange is required has necessitated the CBN and NFMAN to partner on importing some quantity of norman wheat seeds that would be  multiplied into commercial seeds along with the already available varieties that had been registered and released by the National committee on varietal release at National Centre for Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB) in Ibadan.  

Some stakeholders have queried why the CBN/ NFMAN should be allowed to embark on importation of wheat seeds for the farmers’ field day held last recently at kano by flour millers despite many of the improved released varieties in the custody of LCRI in Maiduguri with a particular one called (IMAM (ATTILA 7) that was released and registered in year 2019 based on its enhanced bakery quality and increased yield which endeared it to both farmers and millers.

The former Director of LCRI, and a consultant to NFMAN pointed that the importation was not meant to undermine local production, but rather to mitigate the shortfall of quality seeds’ availability that would meet the CBN wheat intervention programme aimed at planting about 1.2 million hectares towards import reduction by 50%.   

Olabanji stressed further that lack of fund to LCRI has hindered the pace of seeds multiplication being embarked upon by the Institute, adding they are not in any way relenting in filling this gap despite many other challenges like the covid-19 pandemic disease that disrupted many things last year.

 ‘’ We must stop deceiving ourselves in the face of increasing demand for bread as it is the second mostly consumed product after rice as annually about 6.2 billion loaves of bread are supplied into the market through domestic production from 20,000 local bakeries in Nigeria . What CBN and NFMAN are trying to do in view of the huge amount of money being spent on wheat import is to increasing acceleration of quality seeds multiplication into certified seeds so as to checkmate wheat import against our rapidly growing population that will require more bread just as they did for local rice production’’ said Olabanji.

                     

Speaking on the issue, the Head of Department (HOD), cereal research department LCRI, Dr. Zakari Turaki alluded to the above  that the shortfall in wheat seeds had necessitated the import by FMAN, adding it has not in any way hindered local production on the multiplication of released varieties on the part of his institute, the flour millers and even CBN who is presenting multiplying in Sokoto.

Dr. Zakari also attributed the scarcity of wheat seeds to the unfortunate incident that happened during EndSARS last year where about 4,000 bags of quality seeds were vandalised and carted away in Jos, Plateau state, saying it was a serious setback to the seeds system as the quantity would have been able to cultivate about 4,000 hectares of land in this season.

 He also added that the institute was already doing its best in multiplication of IMAN seeds in Kaduna, Zaria and in other locations so as to be able to recover from the loss incurred in Jos, while both NFMAN and CBN had already embarked in the local production seeds multiplication to mitigate importation.