The Federal Government is taking measures to ensure adequate food security by providing a 50% subsidy to wheat farmers across Nigeria, according to the Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari.
Highlighting President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, the minister emphasized the government’s commitment to securing food production from next month, with particular emphasis on wheat farming during the dry season.
During his visit to Kano and Jigawa states to oversee wheat seed production, the minister expressed his satisfaction with the progress being made.
“Jigawa State has shown significant interest in wheat farming by allocating 40,000 hectares of land for this purpose, nearing the 70,000 hectares designated by the Federal Government for this year,” stated the minister.
He further mentioned that the Federal Government is working towards ensuring the availability of enough seeds to cover the designated 70,000 hectares for wheat farming, with a focus on producing foundation and breeder seeds locally.
“The breeder and foundation seeds underwent thorough checks to ensure their quality and viability, with the aim of phasing out wheat importation before the next irrigation farming season. It is imperative to address this issue as wheat importation is putting a strain on Nigeria’s foreign reserves,” he explained.
Kyari also emphasized that the Federal Government’s objective is to attain self-sufficiency in food production, thereby putting an end to seed and wheat importation.
“With the strategies in place, Nigeria aims to completely stop the importation of wheat seeds within the next four to five years and achieve self-sufficiency through enhanced local production, thus strengthening food production and security,” he added.
During his visit, the minister inspected the National Wheat Council Warehouses at Sharada and also paid visits to AA Albasu Grain Company and Alyumna Seeds Production Company.
