In tandem with the focus of the on-going ATA to unlock the potentials embedded in the agriculture sector, the Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nigerian Breweries Plc, in a bid to drive development and commercialization of high quality sorghum varieties in the country.
Speaking at the event which held at Abuja, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, noted that despite being the largest producer of food sorghum in the world, Nigeria was yet to harness the crop’s potential to drive economic input, stating that one of the objectives of the recently signed agreement was to increase the number of out-grower farmers engaged by Nigerian Breweries Plc from the initial 250,000 to 2.5 million as well as access to high quality sorghum varieties..
Adesina while commending the research activities of Nigerian Breweries in the development of a sorghum hybrid with the capacity to yield 4 metric tons per hectare against the average yield of 0.5 metric tons, he further outlined the expected outcome of the partnership to include; formation of production and purchase clusters, increased production to 13 million metric tons by 2015, improved nutrition, as well as linkage with processors and markets.
The Minister using the event as a medium, reiterated government’s commitment to the Agriculture Transformation Agenda and the preparedness of the Ministry to involve credible stakeholders in the development of the sorghum seed sector, as well as provide seed companies access to finance through the Seed Venture Capital Fund (SVCF).
Decrying the acquired taste for foreign products as against quality local products by Nigerian consumers, the Chairman Nigerian Breweries Plc, Kola Jamodu, stressed that Nigeria had no reason to depend on imported food for her survival thus pledging the commitment of Nigerian Breweries to enhance availability of high yield sorghum seeds through breeding and selection programmes for large scale commercial production in order to support the agricultural transformation of the present administration.
Highlighting the achievements of the company, Jamodu stated that the company’s local sourcing of its raw materials has resulted in the creation of jobs for 250,000 local farmers who produce hybrid sorghum.
Speaking to AgroNigeria team, he expressed optimism that the partnership with the Federal Government would further expand and strengthen the company’s efforts in developing the sorghum value chain in Nigeria.