Stakeholders adopt new wheat action plan

Wheat stakeholders have validated for adoption a new strategic document for acceleration productivity in a well synchronised manner among agencies to checkmate high bill import running to billions of naira in the next ten years. 

The motion for the validation of the document to be presented to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) for further fine tuning was moved by the Commissioner of Agriculture, Bornu state, Dr. Ali Bunu Mustapha who was seconded by his colleague from Jigawa being represented, Mr. Yasa’ a Wada Abubakar this week Tuesday at Sheraton hotel tower, Abuja.

The stakeholders advised that the consistent implementation of the document action plan with aggressive mechanization of land clearing driven by private sector, prompt funding availability, right certified seeds, best agronomics practice of motivated extension workers, and market driven efficient off takers must be upheld to make a huge different from the present level of 240,000 tons to meeting national demand of 5.7million metric tons.

Speaking on the occasion,the Chairman House Committee on Agric Colleges and Research Institutions, Honorable Munir Babba Dan Agundi stressed the need for sustainable legislative power for wheat productivity that would put an end to policy somersaults that has often impeded the growth of the produce with insecurity cum climate change challenges.

Hon. Munir stressed that there is no reason why both Sudan and Ethiopia should any way be ahead of Nigeria in wheat production in view of our population and consumption advantages, saying inconsistency policy of the government had impeded the growth of wheat in Nigeria.  

In his review of the document, the lead speaker, Dr. Oluwasina Olabanji said that inconsistent policy coupled climate change, crude method of cultivations without mechanization, insufficient certified seeds production, and habit of Nigerians not eating what they produce had been the root of low wheat productivity put at less than five percent of the total annual production, saying the essence of the new strategic document is to reposition wheat productivity  to checkmate billions of Naira being expended annually as about 250,000 hectares would be cleared across the states for the produce cultivations.

Dr. Oluwasina olabanji, a private consultant to African Development Bank (AfDB) and former Executive Director, Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI) went further to state that the new document is meant to address all the above challenges towards acceleration production in the next ten years to checkmate import,  saying farmers would be made to have sufficient access to certified seeds through effective demand as support would be given to production through best agronomics practices with adequate application of improved inputs timely.

Speaking on mechanization, the Managing Director, Nigerian Agricultural Mechanization and Equipment Leasing Company (NAMEL), Engr. Ahmed Adekunle pointed that low application of tractors in the clearing of land in Nigeria cannot give our desired food security as being experienced in India and other developed nations of the world, saying that the present cost of agricultural machineries  have made all these equipment go beyond the reach of individual farmer, thereby advocating for the establishment of a special financial fund system where loan could be drawn for mechanized farming.

Engr. Adekunle pointed the need to allow private sector driven tractorization to farmers at all the local government areas as cost of machineries have gone as high as 500% without matching productivity, adding there is need for government to make money available through an establishment of a special mechanization fund to tackle this challenge.

The former Executive Director, Institute for Agriculture Research (IAR) Prof. Ibrahim Abubakar in his presentation frowned at the low productivity of wheat in view of favourable climatic potentials to do much better than our present production status,  thereby suggesting  that Nigerians must eat what they produce to create that much needed market for off takers.

Abubakar  pointed the need to galvanise our yield per hectare from 3tons to meet up with countries like Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia with higher tons of six, stressed that wheat can be criss crossed  in planting with rice because they are both heat tolerant crops who can do well in an irrigated system towards food security. 

Speaking, the Country Director, Sasakawa2000, Prof. Sani Miko stressed that the extension services matter must be taken very serious in our crave to accelerate wheat and other crops production with best agronomics of technologies transfer through a well informed extension workers, saying  there is need to increase their numbers at all the states because they are very limited.

Prof. Miko pointed that wheat farmers in Nigeria are facing challenges of finance, quality seeds, and post harvest processing leading to great losses, adding that weak market linkages can be addressed through the use of clusters farming to share scientific knowledge, inputs and off take their produce.

A former director, FMARD, Alhaji Muyiwa Azeez said that wheat market posited the need for effective utilization of our silos through a legislated National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) to buffer food supply to internally displaced persons, and other people who are extremely poor to afford high food prices, adding there is need to intervene for wheat as being done for maize and rice sufficiency in the country.

The representative of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Mr. Tabi Karikari gave the words of his organization as being ready to support Nigeria like Sudan and Ethiopia in the acceleration wheat productions with other major grains to checkmate the food scarcity challenges occasioned by the Ukraine/Russia war on grains prices and food security.

Karikari said that the AfDB has promised to support small scale farmers in Nigeria to cultivate more expanse of land  like is done in Sudan and Ethiopia to grow more wheat and other grains in partnership with Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and  Flour Miller of Association of Nigeria using modern technologies.

In his speech, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar expressed concern over low wheat production of 420,000 metric tons per annual, saying the situation is unacceptable as the strategy replicated in making rice sufficient in the country must be applied to increase wheat sufficiency as well in Nigeria, saying that ‘’considering our growing population and consumption rate for wheat and its products, Nigeria has no option than to boost its productivity and production to meet its national demand. It is in this regards that the draft national wheat strategy document was developed as policy framework to give direction. Indeed, the success story of our rice revolution through the National rice strategy document has transformed the rice industry, it is my firm belief that replication of same in the wheat industry will change the narrative of the wheat value chain’’

‘’ I want to express my appreciation to the President, AfDB and the entire management of the bank for your continuous support especially the provision of fund to cultivate 250,000 hectares of wheat this year. Wheat is a dry season crop as such i wish to appeal to the Honourable Minister of Water Resources to partner with us in the area of releasing water as when due during the growing period of wheat to ensure that our dream of boosting wheat production becomes a reality’’