FG to crash price wheat, targets 2.7 million metric tons production

The National Land Development Authority (NALDA) has revealed that it has a 2.7 million metric tons target for wheat across the country.

According to NALDA, this move would crash the price of wheat, save the country from paying huge money on imports and create job opportunities for Nigerians.

Prince Paul Ikonne, the Executive Secretary of NALDA, who made this known on Monday while hosting the Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, said the effort by the Authority to expand wheat production will also make flour accessible to people.

Ikonne said the projected target is achievable, as he noted that the country has all it required to achieve the targeted wheat production with the willingness of farmers.

“This is very important because nature has also made it that it is very urgent for Nigeria to take advantage of what is happening in the world towards producing our own wheat, maize and other crops.

“We have the potential, the manpower, good weather and others. President Muhammadu Buhari has resuscitated NALDA to make sure we get the land, get people motivated and make our farmers get back to farming.

“We have procured some processing machines so that it will be easy for farmers to start wheat processing. The small and big flour Mills also need the raw materials.

“We have resolved in Gombe and with the Governor’s visit, we can do more, the Governor has pledged 4,500 hectares for our aggressive production that NALDA is collaborating with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the result we got shows that it’s achievable,” he said.

Furthermore, the NALDA boss said that NALDA has shared its plant projects into two parts where they are working with universities to get land for food production.

Ikonne noted that the Authority is working with the Ministry of Education through the Minister, Adamu Adamu to get 30,000 hectares of land from Universities that are not being used.

According to him, the land will be divided for maize and cassava and wheat production.

“As we speak, we are clearing 100 hectares land in Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) Imo State, we already have 100 hectares of land at University of Agriculture, Umidike and we have already cleared and planted plantain at one of the universities in Aba, Abia State.

“We are grateful to God and we thank President Buhari for his mindset of putting Nigerians on the path of sustainability for the country to be food sufficient”, Ikonne added.

Governor Inuwa while commending NALDA’S effort in food production, said Gombe State is already in line with the target.

He said: “We cultivated 200 of wheat this year and the result is good, that is why we are working with NALDA to expand our production. With the recent development of the Russian – Ukraine war, we need to do more to stop importation of wheat.

“On sustainability, Inuwa noted that the will expand and sustain with production with the support of the people for the country to be self-sufficient.

“Gombe is an agrarian state, 80 percent of the people are into agriculture, we are ready to add value from production to processing.

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