With production of major grain crops limited, Nigeria is expected to continue to rely on imports during the 2016- 17 marketing year, according to a November report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).
Nigeria’s combined cereal imports of wheat, rice and corn are expected to reach nearly 6.8 million tonnes this year, including a forecast of 4.5 million tonnes for wheat, up two per cent from 2015-16, according to the FAS.
Domestic wheat production in Nigeria is limited, with forecasts calling for wheat area and production of 60,000 hectares and 60,000 tonnes, respectively, during the 2016-17 marketing year.
“Although substantial progress was recorded in reclaiming farmlands from Boko Haram insurgents, many returnees, including wheat farmers require rehabilitation as homes and basic infrastructure were largely destroyed by the insurgents.
“Most of Nigeria’s wheat farmlands are rain-fed and insufficient to bring about increased production needed for self-sufficiency while available irrigation infrastructure is largely inadequate for acreage expansion. Irrigation projects are capital- intensive and, given the present availability of government support, it seems unlikely that funds will be made available for required irrigation projects.
The wheat variety produced by Nigerian farmers is high in protein content but low in gluten, a characteristic that is unsuitable for producing the bread preferred by Nigerian consumers,” the FAS noted.
Consumption of wheat in Nigeria was forecast at 4.1 million tonnes, driven by a sustained increase in bread consumption in the country as prices of domestic staples have increased by an average of 40 per cent over the past three months, making wheat flour products relatively more inexpensive.
“Bread is a major staple in Nigeria and it remains comparatively the less expensive staple eaten by majority of consumers despite a 20 per cent price increase recorded over the same threemonth period of review,” the FAS noted.
No comments:
Post a Comment