The Federal Government has revealed its plans to kickstart the cultivation of wheat during the upcoming dry season, targeting more than 70,000 hectares of land starting in November 2023 which is anticipated to result in a harvest of 875,000 metric tonnes.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, made the disclosure on Friday at a briefing in Abuja.
Speaking, he stated that the focus is on the way forward for agriculture in Nigeria, noting that the metric tonnes yield derived from the dry season wheat farming would be for storage in the country’s food reserves.
He said the wheat production is part of the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro Pocket projects funded by the African Development Bank.
According to him, “Under this scheme, the target is to produce wheat on over 70, 000 hectares across the wheat production zone of the country, with an expected yield of 875,000 metric tonnes for our food reserves.”
He assured that there would be blending of appropriate fertilisers to support this year’s dry season farming while making provisions for next year’s farming season in advance.
He added that there will be the provision of train-the-trainer for extension agents involved in dry season farming in collaboration with wheat producing states and other partners such as flour mills.
