The Minister of State for Industry, John Enoh, says Project WHEAT-NESS is not a subsidy but a whole-chain programme to fix Nigeria’s wheat sector from farm to consumer.

Mr Enoh made the remark on Wednesday in Abuja at the inauguration of Project WHEAT-NESS, the Wheat-Based Consumer Foods Value Chain Optimisation and Cost Competitiveness Programme.

He said the programme worked across five segments: upstream supply, industrial processing, downstream enterprise, the consumer market and the finance and policy environment that held them together.

The minister, who chairs the programme’s steering committee, said competitiveness and affordability were not rivals but one outcome, seen from two ends of the same chain.

He urged government and industry to stop working in parallel and begin working as one chain, saying pressure eased at one link resurfaces at another.

He stated, “Nigeria owes a debt to millers and bakers who keep mills running and bread on shelves in spite of the rising costs.

“The country also has between two and 3.5 million hectares with irrigable potential for wheat, and that yields could be doubled through better varieties, timing, nutrition and water.”

The minister said the programme would be measured by enterprises strengthened, mills put to productive use and livelihoods created and above all at the time in the consumer’s hand.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Chris Isokpunwu, said Nigeria imported over six million tonnes of wheat yearly at a cost exceeding $2 billion.

He said the programme would target a 10 to 15 per cent cut in import dependence within three years, with potential forex savings of $200 million to $300 million annually.

Mr Isokpunwu said, ”The programme will also create jobs, strengthen food enterprises and bakers, and lead to lower retail prices of bread.

“A proposed wheat-based consumer food value chain development fund will provide a framework for reinvestment in the value chain.”

The permanent secretary said success would be measured by results, not the launch and urged industry operators to raise efficiency and co-investment and financial institutions to back viable enterprises.

The National Programme Coordinator of the programme, Gerald Okunsebor, said Nigeria produced about 120,000 tonnes of wheat locally but imports about six million tonnes.

He said consumption was expected to reach 10 million tonnes by 2034, while milling capacity utilisation stood at about 50 per cent.

Mr Okunsebor said past programmes focused on production without considering the wider value chain, noting that more wheat did not necessarily mean the right varieties for millers and bakers.

He said, “The 24-month programme will run on two tracks: programmatic activities and a development fund, a blended finance instrument combining private and public capital.

“A baseline assessment will examine inputs, storage, processing, distribution and sales to identify bottlenecks, with early interventions expected before the end of the year.”

Mr Okunsebor added that the president asked for monthly reports on the project, adding that stakeholders would shape it through breakout sessions.

 (NAN)