Bayo Akomolafe 
…as FG fails to end $2bn importation
Plans to end $2billion wheat importation in 2023 by the Federal Government has come to naught as vessels are queuing at the seaports to offload 203, 878 tonnes valued at N58.5billion ($83.6million). President Muhammadu Buhari had said during the inauguration of the Brown Revolution of Wheat at Miango, Bassa Local Government of Plateau State that zero importation of wheat into the country would be his legacy when he leaves office in 2023. However, findings revealed that country would still spend over $2billion on 6.5million tonnes to ferry the grain in 2023 due to huge deficit, activities of bandits, Boko Haran insurgents and flood in the northern part of the country where the grain could thrive.
In the last 10 years, government has provided incentives to encourage local wheat production but no tangible achievement has been made as the country’s production capacity is limited to 110,000 tonnes as at 2022, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Anchor Borrower’s Programme. In January, data by European Commission revealed that Nigeria would take delivery of 1.38million tonnes from France, Romania, Germany, Latvia and Lithuania this year. Accordingly, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in its daily shipping data explained that five vessels arrived this month to offload 203, 878 tonnes.
It revealed that Desert Moon berthed last week at the Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited (ABTL), Lagos Port with 48,676tonnes; Scarabe, 55,000tonnes; Arnica, 41,202tonnes; Stellar Isabela, 15,000 tonnes, while Josepdam at Tincan Island Port will take delivery of 44,000 tonnes of the grain from Zola. However, the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN)’s National Programme Manager, Dr Aliyu Sama’ila, said that the association planned to support 50,000 wheat growers to cultivate 4,000 hectres of farmlands in 2023 across Kaduna, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa, Gombe, Plateau, Taraba, Zamfara and Yobe. According to him, the aim is to provide market for farmers by expanding procurement through additional aggregation staff and warehouse capacity to off-take the grain across 13 wheat producing states.
The association said that it would support about 1,000 wheat farmers in seven local government areas of Bauchi State, which include Bauchi, Jama’are, Misau, Tafawa Balewa, Dass, Shira and Katagum. Also in January, the Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) assured of its preparedness to cultivate over 350,000 hectares to produce not less than one million metric tonnes in the 2022/2023 farming season. Its former National President of the association, Salim Saleh Mohammed in said this could be possible with the support and encouragement from Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Anchor Borrowers Programme and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Also, a former Executive Director, Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI), Dr. Oluwashina Olabanji,said that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development had procured and distributed some inputs, seeds (300tonnes) agro chemicals and farm equipment to wheat farmers in order to aid accelerated wheat production in Nigeria. In December, 2022, six vessels ferried 197, 209 tonnes of wheat valued at N72billion ($103million) to Nigerian ports for bread, semolina, pasta, noodles and biscuits. The NPA’s shipping position revealed that at Lagos Port complex, Glovis Maple with 30,000 tonnes and Genco Vigilant, 17,255 tonnes berthed at Greenview Development Nigeria Limited (GDNL), while Desert Ranger and Desert Rhapsody discharged 54,999tonne and 50,620tonnes respectively at Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited (ABTL).
