Bauchi farmers commend FMAN over wheat development programme

On Feb 8, 2023

Bauchi State farmers have commended the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN), over its wheat development programme aimed at accelerating production in the country.

A cross section of the farmers made the commendation on Tuesday, during the Wheat Farmers’ Green Field Day at Jogale plantation in Jama’are LGA.

FMAN is consortium of flour millers working to encourage wheat value chain through research, extension services, enhancing farmer access to inputs and agricultural financing.

The association is supporting about 1,000 wheat farmers in seven local government areas of Bauchi State, they include Bauchi, Jama’are, Misau, Tafawa Balewa, Dass, Shira and Katagum.

According to a woman farmer, Hajiya Rakiya Abubakar, she cultivated one hectre of farmland with support of the association.

She said that she received fertilisers, seeds and chemicals which enabled her to increase productivity.

Also, Ahmed Haladu, said the intervention by the association encouraged many farmers to go into wheat cultivation.

He said, that farmers were being exposed to new farming techniques and Good Agricultural Practices to boost their production output.

“I cultivated my farmlands using new farming techniques introduced by FMAN.

“The support enabled us to produce over 40 bags as against 15 bags per hectre.

“I am anticipating bumper harvest this season,” he said.

Another farmer, Dauda Ahmed, urged FMAN to review prices of wheat grain to enable farmers to repay their loans.

He said that low price of the produce was a major challenge militating against sustainable growth in wheat cultivation.

A community leader, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo said that upward review of the prices would protect farmers from losses in view of the high cost of inputs.

Sabo also urged the association to expand the scope of its intervention to mobilise participation in the programme.

Earlier, the National Programme Manager of FMAN, Dr Aliyu Sama’ila said 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.