800 wheat farmers to benefit from FMAN out-growers’ scheme

The Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN) says it is set to intensify its collaborations with private agriculture development institutions -Oxford and BabbanGona to boost wheat production through its out-growers scheme for 8000 smallholder farmers in Kano, Jigawa, and Kebbi.

The FMAN out-growers’ initiative which is under the Federal Government Wheat Acceleration Scheme in the 20/21 farming season will be providing input loans to the benefiting farmers.

This is expected to ramp up significantly next season if the loan is promptly repaid by the farmers.

FMAN made this known in a fact sheet made available to BusinessDay recently, on the sidelines of the National Wheat Stakeholders Workshop with the theme ‘Transforming Wheat Production in Nigeria through Increasing Synergies and Adopting New Technologies, held in Kano.

The association also disclosed that is intended to establish Wheat Farmers Service Centers in 15 Local Government Areas in the wheat-growing belt of Kano, Jigawa, and Kebbi state, where the farmers would be trained on the modern method of threshing of wheat, as the body scale up it direct offtake for about 5,000 farmers participating in its outgrowers programme.

In the same vein, the body revealed that it also intended distributing about 150 tons of seeds to over 3,000 farmers under a Certified Seed Production Program it is implementing in partnership with seed production companies, such as Premier Seed, Rahama Seed, and Greenspore, adding that the association has also established a Research Farm for trails of new seed varieties, it brought into the country from Mexico and Sudan, and in the same vein collaborating with LCRI and IAR on how to assist the farmer to improve their agronomic practices.

The association disclosed that transforming wheat production in the country requires a strong vision backed by clear roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders and sound data evidence, adding that it was looking forward to partnering with organizations across the value chain to improve farmers yield through the provision of high-quality seeds, expansion of extension services, and improved access to irrigation.

Commenting on the previous contributions of the association to the acceleration of wheat production in the country, Sani Umar, a director at the Northern Nigeria Flour Mill (NNFM), who represented the leadership of FMAN at the workshop, stated that the body had so far invested over N1 billion in the purchase of wheat produced by the local farmers, since the wheat acceleration program, started.

“We have signed significant MoU with Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) to buy any quantity of the commodity available at 40 above percent landed cost of imported wheat. We have also extended a Research and Development Grant to the Lake Chad Research Institute aimed at improving wheat varieties with good yield.

“In 2019, FMAN initiated an Outgrowers scheme with over 400 farmers in Kano and Jigawa states benefiting. The farmers were provided with loans, high yielding seeds, and agronomic support. So far over the 4 years, FMAN established over 100 ha of wheat varietal testing and seed multiplication sites in Kano, Sokoto, Jigawa, and Kaduna states.

“FMAN has also donated 50 units of Amar Multi-crop threshers to WFAN, and in the past 4 years purchased over 11,500 tons of local wheat valued at about 1.5 Billion Naira, and donated225, 000 kg of seeds to farmers”, added Umar.

In his address, earlier, Muhammad Sabo Nanono represented by a director in the ministry, Karima Babangida said the essence of the gathering was to synergies with various stakeholders to improve the production of wheat in the country.

The minister explained that Nigeria is blessed with vast agricultural land that would drive its economy forward, pointing out that the ministry in its effort to improve wheat farming it has provided seeds to farmers and entrepreneurs free to achieve the set goals.

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, represented by his deputy, Nasiru Gawuna appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to grace the flag-off of the wheat planting exercise slated to hold in Kano for him to have first-hand information about height so far achieved in the wheat acceleration program.