Minister of Agriculture Abubakar Kyari says the federal government is giving out a 50 per cent subsidy to wheat farmers in the upcoming dry season to ensure massive grain production in the country.

Mr Kyari spoke to journalists shortly after inspecting assorted seed wheat productions in Kano on Friday.

”We are fully committed towards massive wheat production in the upcoming dry seasons farming for local and foreign export actions,” he said.

He explained that President Bola Tinubu’s renewed agenda was to ensure that Nigeria secured food production starting next Month, with wheat farming taking its toll in the dry season farming.

The minister, who was in Kano and Jigawa to supervise the seed production, said, “Jigawa State has shown a lot of interest in wheat farming by providing 40,000 hectares of land for wheat farming, closing on the 70,000 hectares set aside by the Federal Government to achieve this year.”

The minister explained that the federal government was making efforts to have enough seeds that would cover the 70,000 hectares provided for wheat farming.

Mr Kyari noted that the federal government planned to secure the nation’s food production and be self-sufficient, adding that local production was one way that the importation of seeds would completely be stopped.

“In the next four to five years, with the programmes set out, Nigeria would completely stop importations of wheat seeds and be self-sufficient with the local production that would enhance food production and security,” he stated.

(NAN)