By Daniel Edu
The Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, has declared that the Nigerian government is taking decisive steps to put an end to the importation of wheat seeds within the next four to five years. This measure is crucial as the importation of wheat has been significantly depleting the country’s foreign reserves.
Kyari further revealed that the Federal Government is providing a 50 percent subsidy to wheat farmers in the upcoming dry season farming, with the objective of fostering extensive wheat production on national soil.
Speaking to journalists during an inspection of various seed wheat production facilities in Kano on Friday, Kyari expressed his contentment with the progress of local production, emphasizing its pivotal role in the farming sector.
He stated, “Our unwavering commitment is to achieve substantial wheat production in the forthcoming dry season farming, both for local consumption and export.”
Highlighting the government’s focus on food security, Kyari noted, “Under President Bola Tinubu’s renewed agenda, we are dedicated to ensuring that Nigeria attains self-sufficiency in food production.”
Jigawa State has exhibited significant interest in wheat farming by allocating 40,000 hectares of land for this purpose, approaching the Federal Government’s target of 70,000 hectares for the current year.
“The breeder and foundation seeds have undergone rigorous scrutiny before we were confident enough to set a plan in motion to phase out wheat importation by the next year’s irrigation farming season. This is primarily due to the substantial impact that wheat importation has on Nigeria’s foreign reserves,” Kyari added.
He concluded by saying, “Within the next four to five years, with the programs we have outlined, Nigeria is set to completely halt the importation of wheat seeds and achieve self-sufficiency, which will significantly enhance food production and security.”
