With Brown Revolution, CBN Eyes Self Sufficiency In Wheat Production

As a country, Nigeria has relied on the proceeds of oil exports for so long. However, with the volatility of oil prices, and its implications on Nigeria’s foreign reserves, the country has no other choice but to work towards the diversification of the Nigerian economy by investing in other productive sectors of the economy.

The Agricultural sector is one of the critical non-oil sectors which has made significant contributions to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) accounting for a 22.35 per cent and 23.78 per cent contribution to the overall GDP in the first and second quarters of 2021 respectively.

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It was also instrumental in supporting the emergence of the economy from the recession in the 2nd half of 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic.

A key focus of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been the deployment of mechanisms to ensure that agriculture thrives in Nigeria.

In fact, one of the key elements of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) is to significantly grow the economy and achieve maximum welfare for the citizens by ensuring food and energy security.

Eye On Food Security

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Guaranteeing food security means ensuring availability and access across all demographics in the country. The current administration has leveraged innovation and mechanization in the agricultural sector by supporting the production of numerous commodities in which the country has comparative advantage, thereby guaranteeing the availability of these commodities to the masses.

Experts say food security cannot be attained if farmers are not encouraged and adequately equipped with access to the best inputs and opportunities to learn effective agronomic practices for improved yield. It is in line with this that the Federal Government has embarked on several initiatives to provide farmers with resources, input, and materials to cultivate.

It is for this reason that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is supporting the efforts of the Federal Government by providing affordable and accessible financing options to drive domestic food production.

From all indication, the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) has remained a game changer in financing smallholder farmers through innovative funding models centred around building an effective agro-ecosystem, hinged on the value chain approach.

Through the programme, N788.03bn has been disbursed to about four million farmers through 23 Participating Financial Institutions (PFI). So far, 4.796 million hectares of farmlands have been cultivated under the programme covering 21 commodities.

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To further enhance the government’s efforts towards food security, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, last week unveiled the brown revolution project, a scheme that seeks to end the importation of wheat in the near future and eventually, other grains.

The Brown Revolution


The Brown Revolution scheme was specifically targeted at replicating the gains recorded in the rice and maize value chains, which is consistent with solving Nigeria’s food insufficiency imbroglio.

The initiative also draws inspiration from the need to cut back on the $2bn spent annually in importing five million metric tons of wheat, thus depleting Nigeria’s foreign reserves and ballooning the unemployment figure.

With wheat being the third most widely consumed grain in Nigeria after maize and rice, the initiative is equally motivated by the Federal Government’s commitment to economic diversification, which finds expression in the mantra of ‘producing what we eat and eating what we produce’.

The CBN, the driver of the scheme, said that there exists an unflinching resolve to push the Brown Revolution to a higher pedestal, adding that the gains were becoming so manifest, especially with the expansion of crop production in Nigeria.

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Based on statistics from the CBN, Nigeria only produces about one per cent (63,000 metric tons) of the 5-6 million metric tons of wheat consumed annually in Nigeria.

With the demand-supply gap being bridged with over $2bn spent annually on wheat importation, this has made wheat the second highest contributor to the country’s food import bill.

Given the high growth rate of the country’s population and the demographic structure, the demand for wheat is projected to continue to rise. This can only intensify pressure on the country’s reserves unless the government takes a decisive step to grow wheat locally.

Speaking while unveiling the first ever rain-fed wheat programme at the CBN-ABP Wheat Seed Multiplication Farm, Kwall, Basa, Plateau State recently, Emefiele, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, Mr Edward Lamtek Adamu, said that over the years, the availability of low-yielding seeds variety locally and poor agronomic practices have hampered successful cultivation of wheat in Nigeria.

He explained that this has led to low productivity, making wheat production unappealing to farmers and unattractive for private sector investments.

In order to change the situation and leverage domestic production to bridge the demand-supply gap in the country, the apex bank boss said the CBN has decided to add wheat to the list of focal commodities to be supported under the Bank’s agricultural intervention programmes.

This collaboration with key stakeholders, he noted, have culminated in the gains being witnessed under the CBN intervention in the agriculture sector.

The Governor said the Bank recognized that improved seeds varieties is the bedrock of any crop production process, adding that this informed why the CBN acquired high yielding varieties from Mexico with potential average yield per hectare of 5-7 metric tons as against a range of 0.8-1.8 metric tons yield per hectare of those varieties previously cultivated.

Conserving Forex From Wheat Imports


It is no longer news that the country meets the wheat supply gap by spending about $2bn annually on wheat importation. The two-pronged approach of seed multiplication and grains production which the CBN has adopted is expected to sustain the propagation of seeds and guarantee availability of high-yielding seeds to farmers.

According to the CBN Governor, the strategy for the wheat value chain involves ensuring availability of high-yield seeds by financing seed multiplication and establishment of seed ripple centres; expanding land under cultivation for wheat to a capacity that can meet total national demand through association and collaboration with relevant federal agencies and state governments.

He also said the CBN is pursuing strategic collaboration with key stakeholders in the wheat value chain for sustained local production, adding that this strategy seeks to reduce wheat importation by 60 per cent in two years and ultimately eliminate wheat importation or reduce it to an insignificant contributor to the country’s total food import bill.

He said, “The CBN will not rest on its oars as we continue to work with our partners, Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI), to expand the frontiers of wheat production in Nigeria to areas like northern Oyo, Kogi and Kwara states.

“The wheat fields you are seeing here today are historic and further underscore the enormous potentials in our agricultural landscape. We are hopeful that with the right technology and agronomic practices, we can change the narratives and develop two wheat cropping cycles to support an aggressive drive to bridge the wheat demand-supply gap in Nigeria.”

He said although, the CBN’s effort in wheat production is still in its early days, it has achieved many feats in the wheat value chain.

For instance, he said through the apex bank’s intervention, about 20,000MT of high yielding wheat seed variety has been added to the stock of national seed supply, while over 100 senior extension service officers have been trained on new technologies for wheat cultivation. He also added that the CBN has designed a strategy for self-sufficiency in wheat production.

Value Addition, Self Sufficiency


President Muhammadu Buhari in his address at the flag off said the attendant benefits of the CBN agricultural initiatives to the nation cannot be overemphasized, as its glaring impact was felt in the wake of the Global Pandemic when borders where closed and the importation of food items was nearly impossible.

He said, “Nigeria is on the path to actualizing sustainability in the production of rice, maize, cassava, soybean, groundnut, oil palm, cocoa and we are gathered here today because of a breakthrough in wheat cultivation in Nigeria. Through the various efforts of this administration in the Agric value chain, we expect bountiful harvest in commodities like maize.

“Wheat cultivation, similar to rice has the capacity to thrive in Nigeria due to the tropical climatic conditions. Currently, wheat is cultivated in many Northern states particularly in the dry season due to the high heat tolerance of the seed utilized by farmers.

“It gives me great pleasure to note as we have witnessed here today that wheat can also be grown in the wet season in Plateau state. Research also shows that it can be cultivated in other Plateaus in the country, namely, Gembu Plateau, Taraba State and Obudu Plateau, Cross River State. I urge these other states to take advantage of this opportunity and key into the initiative.”

He said one legacy his administration desires to bequeath before leaving office is zero importation of wheat. To that effect, the President said he will work with all stakeholders to ensure this objective is achieved in the most impactful way for the Nigerian economy.

“The Federal Government is committed to the continued support for the agricultural sector to ensure sustainability of food security efforts, contribute to foreign reserve accretion and ultimately support the growth of the Nigerian Economy. The Private Sector is also encouraged to key into agricultural financing initiatives provided by the CBN and other Government Agencies,” he added.

With this ongoing initiative, he said there is no doubt that the CBN will attain self-sufficiency in wheat production, attract more players to the wheat value chain and foster job creation for Nigeria.

High Yield, More Fortunes For Us– Farmers

The National President, Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mr Salim Saleh Muhammad, described the initiative as a game changer for the agricultural sector, adding that planting would be done at safe states and areas to guarantee high yield and good return on investment.

He said that bankers, millers and other wheat stakeholders were onboard the revolution train.

He added that unemployed youths have constituted grave security challenge and that agriculture will provide avenues to absorb the jobless youngsters and ultimately help tackle the insecurity challenge.

Another farmer, Abdulahi Adamu, said that the commencement of the wheat revolution was a sign that good fortunes were underway for farmers and Nigerians in general.

“Before now, we suffered in planting wheat and other grains. But now, the government is giving us better varieties and better ideas on how to maximize our yield.

“My brother is into rice farming and today, he’s a millionaire. All he does is to plant and harvest his rice and there are off-takers to take it from there. There is no worry about markets to sell or post-harvest losses.

“That is what will happen to us wheat farmers. I can’t wait to join this scheme”, he explained.

Another farmer, Usman Garba said the new initiative will ultimately take millions of farmers out of the poverty line.

“Rice farmers are now millionaires. Wheat farmers will join suit. Nigeria is a huge country with huge potential. With agriculture, we can solve the problem of insecurity by engaging the youths. Agriculture is the new oil”, he said.

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