The Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme Phase-One (ATASP-1) Project under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-pocket (NAGs-AP) has revealed that the project has contracted production of heat-tolerant wheat seeds to be distributed to farmers during this year’s wheat production as support and boost wheat production in Nigeria.
Speaking during a visit to Al-Yuma fertiliser, seed and chemical company Madobi in Kano State, ATASP-! National Coordinator Mr Ibrahim Mohamed Arabi said they have come to monitor the processing of the heat-tolerant wheat that the project had contracted to Al-Yuma Company.
He said about 1,500 metric tons of the heat- tolerant wheat seed will be produced by the company. He explained it was on that basis that the management of the company extended an invitation to the project and the National Seed Council of Nigeria for assessment.
He added that under the project viable and very good seeds have been procured to support the NAGS-AP. “We are supporting them with about 2,500 metric tons of the heat-tolerant seeds so that they can deploy to various redemption centers and give it to farmers at subsidised rate to improve production and productivity of wheat in the country and other commodities like rice and sorghum among other things,” he said.
While receiving the team, the Executive Director Commercial of the company, Dr Farouk Muhammad Haruna, stated that the company deemed it fit to invite ATASP-1 to ensure compliance to standard set as well as to show its commitment to meet the deadline. He commended the project for finding the indigenous company worthy of being part of the project.