One of the major achievements of the present administration is the attainment of self-sufficiency in rice production from a paltry less than a million metric tons in 2015 to above six million metric tons due largely to programmes geared toward achieving self-sufficiency in rice aggressively pursued and the closure of land borders against its importation. It is very imperative for this administration to tow the same line with sufficiency in wheat production.
Original content
Attaining self-sufficiency in wheat production which now stands at 600,000 metric tons is very crucial to the economic development and diversification of the Nigerian economy in this period of lower oil prices and scarce foreign exchange. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Nigeria imports an average of 4.7 million metric tons of wheat annually whilst its demand is more than six million tons. For us to fill the current gap between local production and self-sufficiency, aggressive drive should be sustained to overcome challenges militating wheat production in Nigeria. These include limited access to improved and certified seed varieties that are high yielding and suitable to our millers in Nigeria; lack of national strategy on wheat production as obtainable for crops like rice, maize, tomato; inadequate irrigation infrastructure in the wheat producing states; and insurgency in the North East which has affected wheat production especially in the Lake Chad area. ...
By clicking “Accept Cookies,” I agree to provide cookies for statistical and personalized preference purposes.
To learn more about our cookies, please read our Privacy Policy.