Group to Commence Export of High-yielding wheat Seed

The African Agricultural Transformation Organization has announced that preparations are underway toward producing and exporting high yielding, heat-resistant wheat.

Dr. Oluwatoyin Adetunji, the Value Chain Specialist at TAAT Clearinghouse, revealed this at the beginning of a two-day wheat training workshop.

He said the workshop’s goal is to identify obstacles limiting the Nigerian wheat seed industry and offer solutions for overcoming them.

Adetunji bemoaned the fact that, up until this point, Nigeria has imported at least 95% of its wheat, a situation that has been and continues to drain our foreign exchange.

He added that, in the not-too-distant future, following the intensification of research programs on wheat, Nigeria will start exporting high-quality wheat to other countries.

In order to make Nigeria self-sufficient in wheat production and compete with Ethiopia and Sudan, which are both self-sufficient in wheat production, she listed the challenges currently facing TAAT, including those related to technology and financing.

In addition to identifying the causes and effects of seed mixtures, Adetunji says the workshop also aims to identify the gaps in the seed development process.

“Wheat is very important and the most commonly consumed food globally, as it is used for the production of bread, macaroni, spaghetti, masa, cuscus, and what have you. Following our commitment and determination, we have, through intensive research programmes developed heat-tolerant materials that can survive in Nigeria,” she said.

Further, she explained that stakeholders will interact during the workshop to identify specific problems relevant to their organizations, and that technical knowledge will be shared on how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the seed sector.

Agro Nigeria / Foluke Ibitomi