2, 400 wheat farmers empowered by FG in Gombe State

Federal Government has supported 2, 463 farmers in Gombe State to cultivate wheat, Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) in the state has revealed.

Mr Ahmed Shamsuddeen, the secretary of the association, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Tuesday.

Shamsuddeen stated that the support came through Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), which enabled farmers to cultivate over 2,463 hectares of land for the 2021/2022 dry season farming in the state.

According to him, the support will go a long way in boosting wheat production in the state while helping to complement the food security efforts of the federal government.

He revealed that the intervention had increased the hectares of land cultivated for wheat production in the state, adding that during the 2021 wet season, only 1500 hectares of land was cultivated by his members.

The wheat farmer said as part of the intervention, improved seedlings were made available for cultivation to ensure better yields for farmers to boost their income.

He said beyond the loan provision to boost wheat production, the federal government was also addressing the challenges that discouraged farmers.

“The government had really helped us in its effort to reduce wheat importation into the country and create jobs for youths and this is working as the government is encouraging us immensely.

“Our National President, Dr Salim Saleh, signed a memorandum of understanding with a lot of millers to off-take the commodity after harvest,” said Shamsuddeen.

He said to ensure that the effort of the federal government in boosting wheat production in the state was maximised, WFAN in Gombe was leveraging technology and providing extension services to those benefitting from the ABP.

He was optimistic that with more supports to accommodate more wheat farmers in the state, Nigerians would begin to see wheat pyramid as it was being done with rice.

Shamsuddeen added that WFAN in Gombe had over 19, 000 registered members cultivating wheat in the state.

The WFAN secretary also commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the officials of the CBN for adding wheat to the list of commodities to be supported to create jobs, reduce importation and boost farmers’ income.