A non-governmental Organization under the aegis of Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation(TAAT) has entered into a partnership with wheat farmers in Kano, as part of its contribution to assist Nigeria in cutting the cost of wheat importation.
The head of TAAT, Mr Solomon Gizaw, disclosed this during an inspection tour of some wheat farms on Wednesday in Kano. He said Nigeria has all it takes to produce and feed itself, and other African countries if farmers, could get the right policy support, the right technology and the right market link to the processors. “We are seeing a great opportunity for Nigeria to be self-sufficient in wheat farming in the coming few years. Nigeria today produces only five percent of the wheat it consumes, and imports the remaining 95 percent from foreign countries worth over five billion Dollars.
“We in Africa, we have the technology, land, water, and the people. If we bring together and work together, Nigeria can feed itself an the d rest of the African countries.”
Gizaw added, “In Africa today, we have several high-yielding wheat varieties that are giving a high yield of 6 to 7 tonnes hectares. But today in Nigeria, the wheat production is not exceeding 2 to 3 per hectare. You can imagine.
“With one farmland, we can increase the productivity by two to three folds. So the African Development Bank is working with the Nigerian government to expand wheat. And the government has committed to take these varieties,” he added.
Speaking during the tour, one of the large-scale wheagrowerser and processors in Kano State, Alhaji Mannir Dan’agundi, has called for consistency in government policies to boost Agricultural production in the country.
“It is about commitment; it is about the consistency of the policy. Once we do that and we are committed, Nigeria has the land, the water, and the people to do what it is supposed to do.
“And with our population of over 200 million people, it is imperative for us to ensure that we have something with which we can even feed ourselves. So, I am very much hopeful with what the government is doing, and I think we need to do more,” he said.
Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano
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