TO Foster seed production, Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN) has offered a grant of N50 million to lake Chad research institute (LCRI) charged with the production of foundation seeds to multiply the 4 newly released high yielding wheat varieties for onward Dissemination to farmers in the coming seasons.
This effort is aimed at reducing seed importation and driving a more sustainable seed supply for the Industry.
The National Program Manager Wheat Development Programme, FMAN, Aliyu Samaila presented the cheque at the 2023 Regional Wheat Summit 2023 organised by the West and Central Africa Collaborative Network (WECAWheat).
Dr Sumaila said “the price of bread has been going up because most of ingredients used for the production are imported, however scientists and other stakeholders are trying to localise production, although it will take time for the price to come down, but we are moving in the right direction.”
“In the last two to three years we have been using local seed companies to produce the seeds our farmers use, but the foundation seeds is imported. But this time around we are going to use the foundation seeds produced by the LCRI, which is the institute that has the mandate to produce breeder and foundation seeds, we have given them our support so next year you will see us using local foundation seeds to produce certified seeds that farmers will grow.”
The FMAN however called on other stakeholders to follow suit so that in few years Nigeria will be self-sufficient in the production of seeds, which will translate into increased Wheat production so that the prices of bread can come down.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari in his remarks noted that the demand for wheat in the West and Central Africa region has surged, creating a considerable gap between supply and demand, he said the Summit is an invaluable platform to address this disparity and forge strategic alliances that will bolster wheat production across our nations.
He pointed out that the Nigerian wheat industry; f has faced challenges, reflected in the significant wheat imports amounting to $6billion between 2016 and 2020, saying this dependence on imports is unsustainable, particularly when considering our national requirement of approximately 6.0 million tonnes annually.
Kyari who was represented by the Director in the Ministry AbubakarGarba mentioned that global events, such as the Russian/Ukraine war and India’s wheat export ban, makes it evident that external volatility pose threats to our food and nutrition security. Thus, it is imperative that we collectively intensify and accelerate wheat production in the WCA Region.
The Executive Director Lake Chad Research Institute, Professor Baba GanaKabir in his remarks, revealed that the institute has registered and released 17 wheat varieties and more are expected in the near future.
He however assured of unwavering commitment of LCRI to excellence in wheat research and development of value chain including technology development and transfer reiterating committed to working with all stakeholders in wheat value chain in facing up to wheat crises and food security in this region.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then