The governor stated this while fielding questions from State House correspondents after meeting behind closed doors with President Bola Tinubu at the President
The Governor said the visit was to thank the President for allowing Jigawa state to cultivate 40,000 hectares out of 120,000 hectares of land set aside for wheat farming in Nigeria.
Namadi, who said he briefed the president on the project and other developmental issues in the state, expressed optimism Nigeria was capable of exporting wheat with the current deliberate plan to attain self-sufficiency.
He said President Tinubu had pledged to give all the support required to achieve the set goals.
“He said whatever we need, we should tell him and he’s ready to support us.”
Asked about the difference Jigawa State could make in wheat production, he said: “We are number one in wheat production in Nigeria. We have already made a difference because we are number one.
“Today like I told you, out of 120,000 hectares for Nigeria, Jigawa state alone is given 40,000 hectares and that shows that we are making a difference.”
On attaining wheat sufficiency in Nigeria, he said: “Certainly, we will.”
He said that the state’s 400,000 hectares of Fadama land would be fully utilise for wheat cultivation during both rainy and dry season farming.
“Certainly, we are going to export wheat over time….We’re doing the first one, and then after this one, we’re going for rice, and the next one, we’re going to wheat, that’s how the cycle will continue to go. Definitely, we’re going to have food sufficiency and we’ll definitely have surplus to export.”
Namadi also spoke on the expected tonnes of wheat to be realised at the end of the farming season.
“The issue is what we’re doing now, the minimum we’re expecting is about four tonnes per hectare. Now four tonnes per hectare and we’re doing 40,000 hectares.
“In fact, this 40,000 hectares are the ones which we have received support from the federal government. We are doing more than that. We can have about 50,000 hectares going on by people doing it on their own.
“So, at least with the essential services we have provided and with all the support we have provided for land clearing, especially harrowing we have supported the farmers with, that has given them an opportunity to cultivate more.
“Somebody who was doing one hectare now is ready to do more hectares because of the support he has from the federal government and from the support he has from the state government, multiply that by 40,000 hectares, official one, we are doing about plus 10,000 hectares.
“We are doing a minimum of four tonnes per hectare, some people are making six tonnes per hectare, but we are taking just the minimum, so definitely, I think the future is very bright.”
