As part of its wheat development programme, the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria, FMAN, has said that it is on course to making Nigeria sufficient in wheat production to the extent that the importation of the crop is stopped.
Aliyu Samaila, National Programme Manager, Flour Milling Association of Nigeria, Wheat Development Programme, made this assertion at Wheat Farmers’ Green Field Day, held in Kadawa, Garun Mallam Local Government area of Kano State, on Tuesday.
He said, it is too early now to talk about replacing the 6 million metric tons being imported into the country annually.
According to him, the FMAN is moving on the right direction to achieve 4 or 5 tons per hectre, from there the issue of replacement comes up when those numbers are scaled up.
“But for now, let imbibe the culture of doing things right. Is just a matter of getting things right. It is just a matter of scaling up. We will get there,” he said.
He disclosed that the FMAN has cultivated about 1,200 hectres this season.
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He said the FMAN was able to cultivate 500 hectres in Kano, but could not do it in Kadawa, one of the notable areas for large s ale wheat production due to rehabilitation of irrigation scheme that was going on.
According to Samaila, this season, part of the irrigation scheme rehabilitation had been completed, that is why FMAN was able to cultivate about 1,200 hectres of wheat.
He added that about 1,000 wheat farmers across Kano state had been engaged, adding that “we will continue to grow as the programme progresses.”
Samaila explained that the essence of the event is to bring stakeholders together to showcase what the FMAN had been preaching as technology right from the beginning of the season in November.
“The essence of this programme is to bring stakeholders together to showcase what we have been preaching as technology right from the beginning of the season in November. Because when you bring something new is not every farmer that adopts. Some wait to see the outcome first. Others adopts one leg in one leg out until they are sure of the good outcome.
“We have gathered here today to hear from the farmers, to tell us what they have done, right from the inception of the programme to this level and what is expected to this crop. We are in 7th state.
The Programme Manager states that the Wheat Development Programme had started in 2021, adding that it would go on until it is satisfied that the benefitting local farmers could go on their own .
He further expressed hope that the programme, which started two years ago, would progress up to the level of making local wheat production scaled up to stop important of the crop.
The Programme Manager explained that the programme was held in Bauchi, Kaduna, Sokoto and Kebbi states before Kano, disclosing that there would be a Brown Field Day programme in Jigawa next month to showcase the harvest of wheat.
He concluded that the FMAN’s focus had been on research and development, seed production, agronomic and input support and purchasing of local wheat from the farmers.
“Specifically, we are establishing procurement centers across 13
Northern States to offtake all wheat grain from up to 50,000 farmers. These states include Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa, Gombe, Plateau, Taraba, Zamfara, and Yobe,” he added.
BizPoint reports that FMAN is a consortium of flour millers in the country that develop a local wheat production as backward integration programme, to stimulate and catalyse local production that would guarantee the supply chain and to make sure the input required is secured in quality and quantity and are the right time.
The main role of the FMAN is to provide a market for wheat farmers in Nigeria thougg expansion of procurement as an industry across the wheat producing states via additional aggregation
staff and warehouse capacity.
