Lake Chad Research Institute Receives N50m Grant From Flour Millers Association

Amidst attempt to enhance wheat production in the country, the Flour Millers Association of Nigeria has provided a grant of N50 million to the Lake Chad Research Institute ((LCRI) for the production of foundation seeds for wheat production.

The purpose of the grant was to reduce dependence on importation of foundation wheat seed and enable LCRI produce the seeds locally.

The National Program Manager, Wheat Development Program. Flour Miller Association of Nigeria, Aliyu Samaila, presented the cheque at the 2023 Regional Wheat Summit organized by the West and Central Africa Collaborative Network (WECAWheat).

Dr. Sumaila stated that the prices of bread have been going up because most of ingredients used for the production are imported. “However, scientists and other stakeholders are trying to localize production, although it will take time for the price to come down, but we are moving in the right direction.

“In the last two to three years, we have been using local seed companies to produce the seeds that our farmers use but the foundation seeds are imported. But this time around, we are going to use the foundation seeds produced by the LCRI. Since the institute that has the mandate to produce breeder and foundation seeds, we have given them our support so next year you will see us using local foundation seeds to produce certified seeds that farmers will grow.”

The flour miller however called on other stakeholders to follow suit so that in few years, Nigeria will be self-sufficient in the production of seeds which will translate to increased wheat production so that the prices of bread can come down.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, in his remarks, noted that the demand for wheat in the West and Central Africa region has surged, creating a considerable gap between supply and demand, he said the Summit is an invaluable platform to address this disparity and forge strategic alliances that will bolster wheat production across our nations.

He pointed out that the Nigerian wheat industry has faced challenges, which reflected in the significant wheat imports amounting to $6 billion between 2016 and 2020. He added that dependence on imports was unsustainable, particularly when considering the national requirement of approximately 6.0 million tons annually.

Kyari, who was represented by the Director in the Ministry, Abubakar Garuba, mentioned that global events such as the Russian/Ukraine war and India’s wheat export ban, made it evident that external volatility pose threats to our food and nutrition security.

“Thus, it is imperative that we collectively intensify and accelerate wheat production in the WCA Region.”, he said.

The Executive Director, Lake Chad Research Institute, Prof Baba Gana Kabir, revealed that the institute has registered and released 17 wheat varieties and more are expected in the near future.

He however assured of unwavering commitment of LCRI excellence in wheat research and development of value chain including technology development and transfer reiterating committed to working with all stakeholders in wheat value chain in facing up to wheat crises and food security in this region.