Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi on Thursday introduced plans to supply two million tons of wheat for export and agricultural self-sufficiency by the Nationwide Wheat Growth Program and the state wheat program.
He asserted that Nigeria had the capability to export wheat underneath the initiative aimed toward reaching self-reliance.
Namadi, who disclosed this to journalists after closed-door talks with President Bola Tinubu on the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, mentioned the President endorsed the state initiative and assured the assist of the Federal Authorities to make the predictions a actuality.
The FG initiated the dry season program in Jigawa State in November 2023 to assist wheat cultivation nationwide. Jigawa State would host 40,000 of the 100,000 hectares allotted for this system.
Namadi mentioned President Tinubu assured him of his readiness to offer his authorities with all the help it wants to realize its aims.
“(He mentioned that) we’ve got to inform him what we’d like and he’s prepared to assist us,” Namadi defined.
When requested about Jigawa State’s contributions to nationwide wheat manufacturing, he mentioned: “We’re primary in wheat in Nigeria. We now have already made a distinction as a result of we’re primary. As I advised you, at this time, out of the 100,000 hectares for Nigeria alone, Jigawa State is getting 40,000 hectares and that exhibits that we’re making a distinction.”
Concerning the opportunity of Nigeria changing into self-sufficient in wheat, he replied: “Definitely, we’ll,” including: “In Jigawa State, we’ve got a FADAMA land of over 400,000 hectares. So that’s solely FADAMA land that we will domesticate in each the wet season and the dry season.”
Namadi mentioned his authorities is exploring rice exports amongst different money crops, together with wheat.
“We’re going to export wheat over time…We’ll do the primary one after which we’ll go for rice. And the following one we'll be speaking about wheat.
“That is how the cycle will proceed. We will definitely have sufficient meals and we will definitely have a surplus to export,” he famous.
The governor mentioned his administration was concentrating on a wheat harvest of 4 tonnes per hectare per 12 months.
He mentioned: “The problem at hand issues our present practices. We anticipate to reap at the least 4 tons per hectare. At a price of 4 tons per hectare we’ve got reached 40,000 hectares.
“Certainly, these 40,000 are those the federal authorities helped. We exceed these actions. We will personal about 50,000 hectares underneath the unbiased cultivation of people.
“That’s the reason we’ve got at the least helped the farmers by offering important providers and assist for land clearing, particularly poignant; this has allowed them to domesticate a good bigger space.”
He added that particular person farmers, who beforehand cultivated one hectare, had been prepared to develop to a number of hectares due to the help they obtain from each the federal and state governments.
“Multiply that by 40,000 hectares; the official hectare that we at the moment domesticate will probably be expanded by roughly 10,000 hectares.
“We obtain a minimal of 4 tonnes per hectare, with some people even reaching six tonnes per hectare.
“Nonetheless, we’re solely taking the naked minimal, so I’m assured that the long run is extraordinarily promising,” mentioned Namadi.
The FG mentioned its wheat program would assist about 250,000 wheat farmers, with a 50 % enter subsidy to farm about 250,000 hectares.
In the meantime, the Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Bago, mentioned the state was prepared to fulfill the nationwide goal of cultivating 500,000 hectares of agricultural land for meals safety.
Niger is Nigeria's largest state by way of land mass, with an space of over 76,000 km2. Based on reviews, lots of the cultivable, unmanaged areas have turn out to be breeding grounds for terrorist actions in recent times.
However Bago, who has solely been in workplace for seven months, advised State Home correspondents that “loads is being achieved” to make sure the security of farmers as they work their land, saying: “They’ve already returned to the farms. ”
“In Mr. President's New 12 months's handle you should have heard the emphasis on agriculture and the five hundred,000 hectares that the federal government desires to domesticate by 2024.
“Niger State has provided itself as a pilot state for that challenge. We’re additionally formidable to match the federal authorities's 500 for 500.”
