By Stanley Helon
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security has described as worrisome recent figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics which showed that over One trillion naira was spent on the importation of wheat from October 2023 to September 2024.
The Minister, Abubakar Kyari made this known at the 2nd National Rainfed Wheat Farmers Day, held at the National Root Crops Research Institute, Vom.
The day, an initiative of the Lake Chad Research Institute, Maiduguri and supervised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security aims to develop a modern and dynamic agricultural research system for increased agricultural productivity, thus alleviating poverty and creating jobs.
Speaking at the event, the Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari noted that the figure was a negative reflection of development in the sector, hence the urgent need to change the narrative.
He explained that, the Ministry had prioritized innovation and improvement in quality of different crop varieties for better yield.
Mr kyari noted that the application and deployment of innovations has led to the development of a special hybrid of wheat that has proven to be more resistant to unfavourable conditions.
He therefore enjoined Farmers to key into the idea in order to overcome challenges affecting production for sustainable food security.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang while expressing concern over the level of various crops production per hectare in the country, stressed the need for more of such deliberate actions in order to boost food production.
Mutfwang while reaffirming his administration’s readiness to work towards overhauling the state’s agricultural productivity and to help alleviate the plight of farmers, also directed the State commissioner for Agriculture to develop a three year plan for a successful production of wheat in the State.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture Samson Bugama who spoke on behalf of his counterparts in the 36 states of the Federation, noted that the development was a monumental leap towards the achievement of food sustainability in the country.
Earlier, the Director and CEO of the Lake Chad Research Institute, Professor Babagana Jugudum emphasized the importance of research in agricultural productivity while making a passionate appeal to the Governor for the provision of about fifty hectares of land for the citing of the Research Institute in the State.
Highpoint of the event was the inspection of a cultivated wheat farm located in Vom.
Edited by Karen keyen
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