Prices Of Bread, Paste May Crash As FG Releases Four New Varieties Of Wheat

Prices Of Bread, Paste May Crash As FG Releases Four New Varieties Of Wheat

Prices of bread and pasta may soon crash, The Nation has gathered.

 

This is because high-yield varieties of wheat used for production have been introduced to farmers in the country.

 

Wheat is among the ten new varieties of crop approved for release by the Federal Government approved as part of the effort to address food security, sustainability and sufficiency in the country.

 

The government approved the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds and Fisheries during its 32nd meeting at the Conference hall, National Centre For Genetic Resources And Biotechnology (NACGRAB), Moor Plantation, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Thursday.

 

The ten newly approved crops include four varieties of wheat, four potato varieties and two synthetic maize varieties.

 

The approval followed an earlier submission by the Technical Sub-Commitee (TSC) of the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds and Fisheries at its 36th meeting.

 

The four new wheat varieties comprised two bread wheat varieties (Borlaug100 and Neloki) and two durum-wheat varieties (Crino and Bayoreca).

 

The wheat varieties were submitted by the Lake Chad Research Institute, Maiduguri, Nigeria, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, Mexico and the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria.

 

Stakeholders at the meeting include the Head of Department, Cereal Research, LCRI, Dr Zakari Turaki; an Agronomist, Floor Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN), Mr Hamed Abdulahi; Director/CEO, LCRI, Maiduguri, Prof Babagana Kabir; and Registrar NACGRAB, Dr Anthony Okere all agreed that the new wheat varieties are high yield and will in a short time help address the importation of wheat which largely account for the high cost of bread and pasta.