Buhari promises to stop importing wheat, urges wheat farming at home

Nigeria spends $2 billion a year on wheat imports, which President Buhari has promised to eliminate.

In Kwall, Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau State, he urged Nigerian farmers to plant wheat at the Wheat Seed Multiplication farm.

Nigeria’s agriculture sector is expected to contribute 22.35 percent to GDP in the first quarter of 2021 and 23.78 percent in the second quarter, according to Buhari, who was represented by Governor Simon Lalong.

According to him, agriculture and farming are his government’s top priorities in order to boost the economy and ensure food and energy security for all citizens of the country.

According to Buhari, Nigeria is on its way to becoming self-sufficient in rice, maize and cassava production and that wheat cultivation will be completed in the not-too-distant future.

Despite the country’s ability to meet domestic and export needs, Nigeria has been spending large sums of money on wheat imports, which he says is unacceptable given the country’s resources.

Over the past few years, Nigeria has spent more than $2 billion importing wheat, which is a major contributor to the country’s massive foreign import bill. This is due to the fact that millers have had to import wheat by-products in order to meet the growing demand.

“Nigeria’s tropical climate makes wheat cultivation, like rice cultivation, possible. Due to the high heat tolerance of the seed used by farmers, wheat is currently grown in many northern states, especially during the dry season.