By Editor
Amidst the raging war between Ukrainian and Russia, African countries have sustained wheat importation from Europe over USS20 billion Dollars.
The increased dependency of Africa on the European market, including Nigeria which sources about 90 percent of its wheat demand abroad, has continued to weaken efforts to harnest production level in the continent.
The Head, Clearinghouse, Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation, TAAT, Dr. Solomon Gizaw made the revelation on Monday in Kano at the opening of workshop on wheat seed production in Nigeria.
Dr. Gizaw explained that African countries are paying the supreme price for Ukraine- Russia crisis which has obstructed supply chain and escalated cost of wheat importation, failure to take advantage of it’s potential.
Dr. Gizaw regretted that African countries have refused to build a self sufficient mechanism in wheat production despite its abundant arable land, available resources and technology deposits; an ugly development threatening food security in the continent.
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According to him, “the fight between Russia and Ukraine impacted the whole of Africa. You can imagine, two countries fighting elsewhere in Europe but the fight has caused a lot of supply disruption because we Africans are the major importer of wheat across the continent.
“Which means we don’t have food security as our food security is in the hands of the others. This is regrettable because we don’t have reason to depend on Europe for wheat in the first instance
In Africa, we have the technology, land, water and the people. If we bring together and work together, Nigeria can feed itself and rest of Africa countries”.
Dr. Gizaw who identified poor seed production and supply as major predicament disclosed TAAT plans to provide USD200 million Dollar soft loan to farmers in Nigeria for seed and fertilizer production to boost wheat production.
Earlier, TAAT programme coordinator, Dr. Chrys Akem worried that Nigeria is still backward in wheat production revolution compare to Ethiopia and Sudan who are now self sufficient in wheat production.
“We started a programme 10 years ago called Support Agricultural Research for Development of Stability Crop in Africa, and wheat was one of the crops. And there were the three countries, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Sudan that were ready for the revolution.
“Ethiopia have gone ahead, they are self sufficient and started exporting. Sudan started doing wel until some internal disruptions occured. But Nigeria started with 50,000 hectares, by the tail end of the programme we recorded 150,000 hectares”. Akem noted.
The coordinator explained that the workshop is intended chat ways for production of varieties of wheat seed production in Nigeria and build capacity on best agronomy practice in the continent.
Stakeholders at the occasion identified lack of quality seeds and poor supply to right farmer as major challenge.