New wheat varities #nigeria

The Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI) in Maiduguri has
said it will release two new wheat varieties that can yield
six tonnes of wheat per hectare in December.
Executive Director of the institute, Dr Oluwasina Olabanji,
who disclosed this, also said the varieties would be cropped
in some other states in the country, as they are suitable for
both wet and dry seasons farming.
Olabanji, who is also the Team Leader of the Wheat Value
Chain of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda, said
Mambilla Plateau in Taraba, Obudu in Cross River, Jos in
Plateau states would be used for growing rain-fed wheat,
while Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Borno, Zamfara, Kebbi,
Plateau, Sokoto, Gombe, Yobe, Adamawa and Katsina
would be host to irrigated wheat farms.
In an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Olabanji
said the tropical varieties, including Norman Borlaug and
Reyna-28, which had undergone testing, have been proven
to garner more yields per hectare, compared to the one-
tonne yield per hectare of the conventional wheat seeds in
the country.
He also expressed hope that using irrigated agriculture to
augment the demand of 3.7million tonnes of wheat
consumed in Nigeria yearly, as well as reduce the import bill
on wheat.
He said: "In 2010 import bill for African countries was $12.5
billion; Nigeria alone spent $4 billion of this amount.
"Therefore, specific targeted interventions and development
of wheat varieties suitable for different agro-ecological
zones in Nigeria are necessary to replace excessive
dependence on wheat importation."
He said the institute is promoting production of early-
maturing, high-yielding and heat-tolerant bread wheat
varieties (Norman Borlaug and Reyna-28), disclosing
further that the two new varieties will be released in
December.
LCRI will not be doing this alone, as Olabanji said it was
collaborating with other international agencies to build
capacity for the development of high-yielding wheat
varieties.
He, however, stressed the need for improved input
availability, wheat supply system, post-harvest
management support, improved storage and processing
facilities.
"Provision of inputs at the right time and place such as
improved wheat seed, fertiliser, herbicides of the right
quality and quantity, is critical to improving
competitiveness and profitability of the wheat sector.
"Provision of effective farmer advisory services are also
required for better service needs of wheat farmers.
"Strong post-harvest management support is needed to
reduce losses in quantity and quality in wheat value chains;
its impact is majorly on the quantity of wheat grain for
processing and various end-uses," he said.