Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State has disclosed that his state was targeting the production of two million tonnes of wheat to complement Nigeria’s drive towards food sufficiency.
Namadi, who made this known to newsmen on Thursday, shortly after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, explained that Jigawa’s production target would be achieved through both the National and State Wheat Development Programmes.
The governor, who also said he was at the seat of government to thank Tinubu for giving his state an opportunity to cultivate 40,000 hectares out of 120,000 hectares of land set aside for wheat farming in Nigeria, stressed that Nigeria was capable of exporting wheat with the current deliberate plan to attain self-sufficiency.
He further revealed that the President has thrown his weight behind his state’s efforts and has assured of full support to ensure their projections become a reality.
The federal government had in November 2023, flagged off the dry season programme in Jigawa, allocating 100,000 hectares to wheat farming in the country, with Jigawa alone allocated 40,000 hectares for the programme.
Namadi said Tinubu assured him that he was ready to give all the support required to his government to achieve the set goals, saying, “whatever we need, we should tell him and he’s ready to support us.”
Asked about the difference Jigawa State could make in wheat production for Nigeria, he said: “We are number one in wheat in Nigeria. So, the issue is we have already made a difference because we are number one. And then today like I told you out of 120,000 hectares for Nigeria, Jigawa State alone is given 40,000 hectares and that shows that we are making a difference.”
On whether Nigeria could attain wheat sufficiency, the governor said: “Certainly, we will. In Jigawa State, we have a FADAMA land of over 400,000 hectares. So, that is only FADAMA land that we can cultivate both in rainy and dry season.”
Asked about the possibility of exporting the State’s wheat, Namadi said: “Certainly, we are going to export wheat over time. We’re doing the first one, and then after this one, we’re going for rice and the next one, we’re going to wheat, that’s how the cycle will continue to go.
“Definitely, we’re going to have food sufficiency and we’ll definitely have surplus to export.”
On his projection about the number of tonnes of wheat to expect from Jigawa State, the governor said: “The issue is what we’re doing now, the minimum we’re expecting is about four tonnes per hectare. Now four tonnes per hectare and we’re doing 40,000 hectares. in fact, this 40,000 are the ones which we have received support from the federal government.
“We are doing more than that. We can have about 50,000 hectares going on of people that are doing it on their own.
“So at least with the essential services we have provided and with all the support we have provided for land clearing, especially for harrowing that we have supported the farmers, that has given them an opportunity to cultivate more.
“Somebody who was doing one hectare now is ready to do more hectares because of the support he has from the federal government and from the support he has from the state government, multiply that by 40,000 hectares, the official one we are doing plus about 10,000 hectares.
“We are taking just the minimum, so definitely, I think the future is very bright”, Namadi further said.
Deji Elumoye
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