Agribusiness

Stakeholders harp on govt intervention, collaboration to boost wheat production

The Federal Government has been urged to increase its intervention programmes in the wheat value chain. This call was made by stakeholders in the agriculture sector at the Olam Nigeria Green Land webinar series held on Friday, March 26, 2021, with the theme: ‘Deepening The Wheat Farming Development Programme in Nigeria through Innovation, Increasing Investment And Collaboration.’

The stakeholders also called for better collaboration amongst key players to boost wheat production in the country.

Speaking during the event, Mr. Ashish Pande, Managing Director, Crown Flour Mill,stated that Nigeria can only improve her wheat production capacity through an improved wheat value chain, adding that Crown Flour Mill was determined to boost wheat development in the country through its involvement in qualitative research on seed varieties to enhance better yields of wheat in Nigeria.

He said:  “Our ambition is to do research on seed varieties so that all of us can have better seed in the future and with that, we can have bountiful harvest.”

He explained that the webinar was organized to create a synergy amongst stakeholders in the wheat value chain to harness strategic ideason how to improve on the wheat production capacity in the country.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Filippo Maria Bassi, Senior Scientist, Durum Wheat Breeder, ICARDA, Morocco, emphasized that various countries grow different varieties of wheat for the production of staple foods; noting that a lot of opportunities exist within the wheat value chain starting from the varieties of seeds to the actual production of wheat and staple foods.

He further encouraged the Federal Government to increase its intervention programmes in the area of improve seed varieties as that was one of the sure ways of boosting Nigeria’s wheat production capacity.

Dr. Bassi also advised various countries to test their seeds in various regions. This, he said, will create greater yields depending on the farming techniques and soil texture.

Also speaking at the event, Alhaji Salim Saleh Muhammad, National President, Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN)called for a critical stakeholder meeting involving the Federal Government, the private and public sectors to address the challenges faced by wheat farmers in the country.

Muhammad stressed that there was need for synergy between the government and the wheat farmers, noting that the government can help farmers through the implementation of favourable policies and subsidizing farm inputs that would boost wheat production in the country.

According to him, there was need for more funds to be injected into the agricultural sector especially in the wheat value chain to make Nigeria competitive in wheat production.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sambo Nanono,reiterated the Federal Government commitment to collaborate with stakeholders in the wheat value chain to reduce wheat importation into the country by 50%.

Nanono who was represented by Alhaji Zubairu Abdul, Director of Planning, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, declared that the government has an open policy and was willing to engage with stakeholders in improving the wheat value chain.

He noted that the government has invested a lot in training farmers throughits extension agents, adding that the government was looking at the possibility of increasing its extension agents between 50 and 100 in a space of 90 days to assist more farmers in wheat production.

 

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