Bread and Pasta Prices May Drop as Nigeria Introduces New Wheat Varieties
Nigerians may soon enjoy lower prices of bread and pasta, as the Federal Government has approved the release of four new varieties of wheat for cultivation by farmers.
The new wheat varieties are part of the ten new crops approved by the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds and Fisheries at its 32nd meeting held in Ibadan, Oyo State on Thursday.
The four new wheat varieties include two bread wheat varieties (Borlaug100 and Neloki) and two durum-wheat varieties (Crino and Bayoreca).
The wheat varieties were submitted by the Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), and the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN).
According to the stakeholders at the meeting, the new wheat varieties are high-yield and suitable for local production. They said that the new varieties would help to reduce the importation of wheat, which accounts for the high cost of bread and pasta in the country.
Nigeria is one of the largest importers of wheat in Africa, with an annual import bill of over $4 billion. The country produces only about 60,000 tonnes of wheat annually, while its consumption is estimated at 5.6 million tonnes.
The Federal Government has been making efforts to boost local wheat production and reduce import dependence.
In 2017, it introduced a policy that required millers to purchase local wheat at a fixed price of $400 per tonne. It also launched a Wheat Value Chain Development Programme (WVCDP) to provide improved seeds, inputs, extension services and market linkages to wheat farmers.
The approval of the new wheat varieties is expected to further enhance local wheat production and processing, as well as create employment opportunities and income for farmers and millers.
The other crops approved by the committee include four potato varieties and two synthetic maize varieties. The committee said that the new crops would help to address food security, sustainability and sufficiency in the country.
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