* Targets 10,000 hectares throughout 13 states
Great Agri Input Limited (GAIL), an FMN Agro Company and Nigeria’s main supplier of superior agricultural inputs, has flagged off the 2026/2027 wheat planting season in collaboration with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA).
The programme has a goal of supporting cultivation throughout 10,000 hectares in roughly 13 states. Held in Taura Maje, Jigawa State, the occasion had key neighborhood leaders, farmers, cooperatives, FMN and BOA organisational management, the media and neighborhood stakeholders in attendance.
The flag-off featured the distribution of agricultural inputs to farmers, marking the formal graduation of the brand new planting season.
The initiative varieties a part of FMN’s ongoing efforts to broaden Nigeria’s home wheat manufacturing, strengthen smallholder farmer participation and deepen native content material growth throughout the wheat worth chain.
The wheat planting season launch location serves as a symbolic level for a wider programme being applied throughout collaborating states, with farmers already commencing planting actions in some communities throughout the state and neighbouring states.
Speaking on the initiative, the Managing Director, FMN Agro and Group Director, Strategic Engagement and Partnership, Mr. Sadiq Usman, stated the programme displays FMN’s continued dedication to constructing Nigeria’s agricultural manufacturing capability.
“FMN, by means of GAIL, for over twenty years has been constant in content material localisation in Nigeria with the intent of driving meals safety and decreasing dependency on imported uncooked supplies. The firm’s native content material growth commitments extends past wheat, to maize, soy bean, sugar cane, cassava, and palm bushes. We are strategically and productively investing throughout all our key worth chains.
“Wheat is an integral raw material in our productions; thus, GAIL is right at the fore front of providing high yielding seedlings, agronomic support to farmers, partnerships, and market for the locally grown wheat. Through this initiative, we are building on the capacities and partnerships developed over the years to reach more farmers, expand cultivation and contribute to a more resilient domestic wheat value chain,” Usman stated.
The new planting season builds on 5 years of progress in native wheat cultivation which has influenced over 50 per cent of Nigeria’s wheat cultivation and aggregation. More than 170,000 farmers are empowered by means of coaching, enter assist, offtake and extension companies, and contributed to over 300,000 direct and oblique youth jobs.
A key a part of this progress is the outgrower mannequin, which connects smallholder farmers to important inputs, coaching, extension companies and market alternatives, strengthening home manufacturing and the provision base for native millers.
General Manager, GAIL, Mr. Tayo Ilori, highlighted the significance of superior agricultural inputs and the assist methods required to enhance farm productiveness.
“Access to superior-quality seeds and fertiliser is fundamental to improving agricultural productivity. However, the benefits of quality inputs are maximised when farmers also have access to the right knowledge, agronomic support and other resources throughout the production cycle. At GAIL, our focus is on supporting farmers and the wider agricultural ecosystem with the inputs and solutions required to strengthen local cultivation, improve yields and contribute to a more productive domestic agricultural sector,” Ilori stated.
To assist the scaling of native wheat cultivation in Nigeria, GAIL has partnered with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) as its monetary associate, whereas the Flour Millers Association of Nigeria (FMAN) stays a collaborator within the initiative.
Speaking on behalf of the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of BOA, Mr. Ayo Sotinrin, the financial institution’s Zonal Manager, North-west Zone, Abdulrazaq Datti Salihi, stated the financial institution was proud to assist efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s home wheat manufacturing.
“The Bank of Agriculture is proud to serve as a financial and development partner in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s domestic wheat production. Through our financing interventions, we are working to improve farmers’ access to essential resources and support the growth of local agricultural value chains. We commend FMN Agro for its continued investment in local wheat production and value the partnership that brings together financing, agricultural expertise and farmer support to expand production, create opportunities for farmers and strengthen Nigeria’s food security. We believe that partnerships of this nature are essential to building a more productive and resilient agricultural sector,” Salihi stated.
The programme has additionally expanded native seed manufacturing from 572 metric tonnes in 2021/2022 to six,500 metric tonnes in 2025/2026. In the final three years, over 30 mechanisation companions have serviced greater than 8,000 hectares, supported the adoption of the Borlaug wheat selection and the introduction of three further high-yielding varieties suited to Nigeria’s local weather.
As the 2026/2027 season will get underway, FMN by means of GAIL is unwaveringly dedicated to growing considerably, native wheat cultivation by offering the precise enter, assist, coaching and an enabling setting to drive excessive yield and wheat self-sufficiency in Nigeria.
