By Doris Esa
The African Development Bank (AfDB) says it has set a target to produce an additional 120 million tonnes of food by 2025.
Dr Abdul Kamara , Director-General, AfDB Nigeria Country Department, stated this during a side event at the 2024 West and Central Africa Regional Wheat Summit on Thursday in Abuja.
The theme of the summit was: “Prioritising Policy, Innovative Technologies, and Investments in Wheat Transformation towards Sustainable Food Security and Economy in West and Central Africa”.
Kamara emphasised the urgent need for enhanced wheat production in West and Central Africa.
He said the demand for wheat had been rising due to population growth and urbanisation and shifting dietary preferences.
” However, in spite of this increasing demand, domestic production continues to lag far behind
” Today, the sub-region relies heavily on imports to meet its wheat needs, which exposes our countries to the vulnerabilities of the global market.
” Recent events, such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and India’s wheat export ban, have only further highlighted the fragility of relying on external wheat supplies.
” The disruptions we have witnessed serve as a strong reminder that we must work towards reducing this import dependency and bolster local wheat production to secure our region’s food future,” he said.
Kamara said that the AfDB’s response to these challenges was encapsulated in its Feed Africa initiative, launched in 2016.
He said that the ten-year strategy was aimed at transforming agriculture across the continent into a competitive agribusiness sector.
” The Feed Africa’s Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) is a major, continent-wide initiative that aims to boost agricultural productivity in all parts of Africa.
” The TAAT contributes to Feed Africa’s objectives by improving agricultural productivity using the power of science, technology, innovation, and a knowledge-based agricultural approach.
‘ The programme aims to double the productivity of crops, livestock, and fisheries by making proven technologies available to more than 40 million agricultural producers by 2025.
” This will produce an additional 120 million tonnes of food and lift 130 million people out of poverty,” he said.
Kamara encouraged stakeholders to engage in discussions aimed at building resilient agricultural systems capable of supporting Africa’s food security and economic growth.
” Together, we can turn the challenges we face into opportunities and create a prosperous wheat sector that serves the needs of our people,” he said.
Gov. Umar Namadi of Jigawa, who featured at the summit, shared the challenges and successes of wheat production in his state.
“We believe in our land, our people, and our determination,” he said.
Namadi, who reflected on efforts to allocate 40,000 hectares for wheat cultivation, said his administration had implemented programmes to support farmers.
He said this had resulted in a significant increase in land dedicated to wheat production.
Dr Solomon Gizaw, Head of the TAAT Clearinghouse, highlighted the pressing demand for wheat.
Gizaw said that wheat consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa had surged by over 6 per cent in the past decade.
He said that there was the need for strategic investments in the wheat value chain.
Gizaw said that that nations like Nigeria and Cameroon were formulating National Wheat Road Maps to enhance domestic production.
“Over the past six years, TAAT has successfully distributed heat-tolerant wheat varieties and other crops to over 12 million farmers, leading to an estimated increase in crop production of 25 million tonnes.”
Mr Zubeir Ibrahim, Managing Director, Nile Sun Seed Company Ltd, and Chairman of the Sudan Seed Trade Association, Saudi Arabia, shared same views.
He emphasised the opportunities presented by heat-tolerant wheat varieties and the growing market demand.
“This demand creates a pathway for success that we can leverage,” he noted.(NAN)
