Lagos , Nigeria (PANA) – Farmers in Nigeria will soon generate 42 billion naira (US$252.5 million) from wheat production, according to Agriculture Minister Akinwumi Adesina.
The minister was quoted as saying, that apart from the income to be generated from wheat production, an estimated one million jobs will also be created, especially in the Northern part of the country.
The minister was speaking on the occasion of 2014 Wheat Farmers’ Field Day, organised by the Lake Chad Research Institute, in northern Kano State.
Nigeria currently spends 635 billion naira (US$3.8 billion) on wheat importation annually.
“Today Nigeria’s wheat import is about 4 million metric tonnes per year and it’s estimated to grow by 5 per cent per year. By the year 2030, Nigeria will be importing 10 million Metric tonnes of wheat every year. That means Nigeria will be spending US$10 billion every year on wheat importation,” Adesina said.
The minister explained that the government is planning to raise wheat production from 300,000 metric tonnes to 1.5 million metric tonnes by 2017.
“This is not a mirage, that’s why we are here, a silent revolution is happening on farms across northern Nigeria. We have begun the massive distribution of hybrid wheat seeds which gives five to six tonnes per hectare to our farmers through the Growth Enhancement Support and the E-wallet system,” he added.
