Emmanuel Thomas l Monday, March 29, 2021
LAGOS, Nigeria – Key players in the wheat production value chain have called on the Federal Government to summon a national stakeholders forum to address challenges in the production chain.
The stakeholders, comprising the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN), Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) and Chairman, House Committee on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions, House of Representatives made the call at the Olam Green Land Webinar with the theme: “Deepening the Wheat Farming Development Program in Nigeria through innovation, increasing investments and collaborations” on Friday, March 26, 2021.
Leading the call was Sarah B Huber, Head of FMAN, Wheat Development Programme, one of the panelists that discussed the paper, “Wheat in West Africa: Innovations as solution” presented by Fillipo M Bassi, a Senior Durum Wheat Breeder, noted that a national stakeholders forum is needed to be able to come out with policies that will take wheat production to the desired destination.
According to her, one of the challenges in the sector is increasing farmer’s yields and increasing productivity by at least 70 percent per farmer in 3 to 4 years.
Alluding to Dr. Filippo Maria Bassi’s presentation calling for subsidy as an incentive, she said that though subsidizing wheat production is good and the ultimate in the developed economies but that increasing yield is however more desirable. She also alluded to collaborations among stakeholders in the area of mechanization for increased output and with the Lake Chad Research Institute, Maiduguri for varieties in the wheat production chain.
She advocated for more variety of seed to meet the various farming needs and extension services for wheat farmers. She said that though FMAN undertakes some extension services for wheat farmers, but that the challenge remains moving beyond their immediate environment and that funding from government and agencies would go a long way in mitigating this challenge.
She said there is need for extension services to train farmers on when to farm. The FMAN boss talked about better seed quality, multiple varieties yearly, irrigated land extension for farmers and seed distribution. She said that for now, FMAN is able to uptake wheat produced wherever they may be found in the country.
She was however not happy that there is no official statistics on wheat production in the country from the National Bureau of Statistics(NBS) and that the Federal Government needs to provide data on wheat production.
In his contribution, National President Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria, WFAN, Alhaji Salim Saleh Muhammad called on the Ministry of Agriculture to set up an interactive platform of stakeholders to address issues relating to wheat production in Nigeria and for peers to share data. He said that wheat is now on the front burner in Nigeria as a result of pressure from lawmakers and that there is need to increase food production by 70 percent if Nigeria wants to make any impact.
He told the gathering that the Lake Chad Research Institute at some point developed heat-resistant wheat variety, stressing that research and fund remains very critical to wheat production. According to him, the Ministry of Agriculture must change the narrative through funding and proper planning. The WFAN president also called on relevant government agencies to replicate success stories recorded elsewhere in Nigeria.
Alhaji Munir Babba Dan Agundi, Chairman, House Committee on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions, House of Representatives who also emphasized the need for multiple variety of seeds for wheat farmers, pointed out that the lack of policy consistency remains a major hindrance in the way forward for wheat production.
He promised to submit a bill to the National Assembly, calling for a stakeholders’ forum to come out with a consistent policy on wheat production. Alhaji Munir Babba Dan Agundi called on the Central Bank of Nigeria to work with the Ministry of Agriculture for a way out of the woods.
In his contribution, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono commended Olam for the initiative. The Minister who was represented by Dr. Richard-Mark Mbaram, Technical Adviser on Knowledge Management & Communications said the ministry remains fully dedicated to food production and that there is higher emphasis on research and development and that the federal government has shown interest in wheat production since 1995 when it incentivized production of wheat.
According to him, Nigeria has been dependent on importation of wheat production but that government is determined to reduce the trend by 80 percent. Also speaking, Mrs. Babaginda – Director, Federal Department of Agriculture represented by Mr. Telta Naphtali – Assistant Director, Desk Officer Wheat Value Chain, FMARD pointed out that it was only during the era of former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida that the Federal Government gave a lot of support to wheat production in the country to such an extent that local production rose from 80,000 tons to about 600,000 tons when the Federal Government placed import ban on wheat in three years but that government lifted the ban which has landed Nigeria into the present quagmire.
According to him, lifting the ban brought about lack of market for Nigerian wheat, forcing Nigerian farmers to abandoned wheat production.
While alluding to the presentation of Dr. Fillipo who earlier mentioned that the landing cost of wheat in Nigeria is cheaper compared to the cost of local production said that the landing cost of wheat is 80,000 and 100,000 per ton in Nigeria whereas the local cost of production is about N200,000 per ton.
According to him, if Nigerian farmers decide to sell wheat produced locally at the landing cost of imported wheat, farmers will operate at a loss . For a change, Mr. Telta Naphtali called for the need for research for higher yielding seeds, like what is obtained in Egypt where the yield is as much as 9 tons per hectare.
He said 436 metric tons of breeder and certified seeds imported by government was carted away by hoodlums during ENDSARS protest from the National Agriculture Seed Store in Jos but that the Minister has gone ahead to procure another 235 metric tones of certified seed last year and has distributed 100,000 seeds to wheat farmers in Kebbi and Jigawa state.
Mr. Stephen Ambore –Wheat Champion, Central Bank of Nigeria said that wheat remains the second highest food import bill in Nigeria, with a lot of pressure on budget. He said that the Federal Government is interested in wheat production as part of effort to reduce inflation.
He said that CBN is interested in financing local production that will multiply high yield seeds for farmers. As he puts it, many farmers are discouraged because of low yield hence the CBN is working to finance any value chain that is interested in multiplying seeds.
The Wheat Champion said there is 99 percent production gap in the value chain from seed to production and that CBN is interested in working with every one that has interest in seed and the wheat value chain. He explained that CBN hopes to reduce import of wheat by at least 60 percent.” It is ambitions, but with innovation and collaboration, we will achieve it”, he said.
Earlier in his presentation, the guest lecturer, Dr. Fillipo Bassi took a look at the complexity of wheat food systems, which he said determine selling price and profit margins. He pointed out that human capacity development are very critical in the development of the value chain.
He revealed that farmers are currently trying varieties of seeds across the African continent but that raised beds system remains solution to water lagging and that Egypt has adopted it. He noted that the method reduces use of water by 60 percent and increases yield by 10 percent.
The summation of his presentation is that wheat as a new crop needs training and that water lagging remains an issue since wheat is not rice.
He noted that varieties define the need in terms of earliness, yields and milling quality. One of the major solution he provided is financial support and credit, and extension, pointing out that business, investment and machinery need investment much as seed and brokers need investment. He mentioned subsidies as a way out of the woods.
Others experts who made contribution at the event held at Sheraton Hotel and & Towers were Dr. Kachalla Kyari Mala, Principal Research Officer, Lake Chad Research Institute, Maiduguri, Borno State and Prof Ikechukwu Kelikume – Lagos Business School.
