Food security: FG to cultivate 70,000 hectares of wheat in Jigawa

Abubakar Kyari, minister of agriculture and food security, says the federal government will cultivate 70,000 hectares of wheat during the dry season in Jigawa.

Kyari spoke on Thursday when he visited Adamu Abubakar-Maje, the emir of Hadejia, in the state.

During his visit, the minister conducted a facility tour at the Malam Alu farm in Birnin Kudu local government area (LGA), and a 10-hectare rice farm in Marma, a farming community between Kirikasamma and Guri LGAs.

Kyari said the tour was part of the ministry’s fact-finding mission to appraise the preparedness of the state and the selected demonstration farms for growing high-breed wheat seeds.

“The decision to start the demonstration farms in Jigawa was informed by Governor Umar Namadi’s zeal and commitment towards making the state one of the leading wheat growers in the country,” Kyari said.

“The state allocated 70,000 hectares of land to the ministry for wheat cultivation.”

The programme is part of the federal government’s efforts to achieve food security amid the high global price of wheat.

In Nigeria, wheat is the third most consumed grain. In the second quarter (Q2) of 2023, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), a total of N208.28 billion was spent on the importation of durum wheat from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Canada, and Russia.

Durum wheat, also called pasta wheat or macaroni wheat, is a tetraploid species of wheat. It is useful in bread-making, and it is the second most cultivated specie of wheat after common wheat.

Interacting with farmers in Marma village during the tour, Kyari said the ministry would distribute an improved variety of seeds for irrigation activities to boost food security programmes in the country.

He said the federal government has made adequate arrangements to equip wheat growers with the necessary farming implements.

The minister said the ministry has also set up a climate change monitoring committee with the responsibility of providing expert assistance on weather-related issues to the growers from planting to harvesting period.

Kyari said President Bola Tinubu was committed to enhancing food security through the effective utilisation of smart agriculture in the country.

On his part, Abubajar-Maje commended the federal government for choosing Jigawa as the pioneer state of the wheat programme.

The monarch, represented by Usman AbdulAziz, the galadiman of Hadejia, called for the commencement of the wheat season in earnest, adding that “the time to start planning for growing wheat is now”.

He also urged farmers selected for participation in the programme to reciprocate the gesture by being honest in their operations.