Nigeria's ambition to slash its wheat import bill and move toward self-sufficiency has run into a bureaucratic wall. For 18 months, funding secured from the African Development Bank has sat in limbo, withheld by the Federal Ministry of Finance, paralysing the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket, according to BusinessDay.
A Season Lost
Over the past year and a half, no wheat cultivation activity was recorded under the scheme, and without timely inputs and foundational seeds, planted acreage is now projected to fall 35 per cent short of the 2026 national target, the BusinessDay report stated. The delay keeps Nigeria reliant on suppliers including Russia, Canada and the United States to meet domestic flour demand.
Farmers Count the Cost
The freeze has fallen hardest on growers who prepared for a crop that never came. The national president of the Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria, Musa Shehu Sheka, said many farmers completed land preparation only to be left disappointed when the promised inputs failed to arrive, according to BusinessDay. He said the losses pushed many of them to switch to more profitable crops, sapping momentum from the wheat drive.
Mixed Signals Ahead
There are some hopeful notes. Cross River has joined the wheat map and Jigawa has overtaken Borno as the top producing state, while the United States Department of Agriculture predicts Nigerian wheat output will rise about 7 per cent in the coming year as inputs reach farmers in time for planting, the BusinessDay report noted. Nigeria has also secured a further $200 million for the second phase of the scheme, though releasing it remains the test.
FoodPrices Nigeria tracks verified prices for flour and other staples across Lagos markets. A stalled wheat programme leaves bread and flour costs exposed to global prices and currency swings.