Hardship: Nigeria Imports N1.1trn Cheap Wheat From Russia

Shipments of cheap wheat valued at N1.1 trillion ($687 million) from Russia have started arriving Nigerian ports. Findings revealed that Nigerian millers had ordered the wheat after the Federal Government offered 150-day free import duty on food to ease hunger......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>

Presently, five ships have arrived the ports in Lagos with 183, 215 of the grain as millers used the government’s opportunity to resume shipments from Russia, making the country to become 10th importer of Russian wheat.

It was revealed that the delivery for the three million order, would last for one year (July 2024 and June 2025) as Russia crashed price of the grain to $229 per tonne.

According to Grain Exporters Union (GEU), Nigeria had entered the top 10 of its buyers, saying that private businesses had ordered for 270,000 tonnes between July and August 2024.

Latest data by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) revealed that 183, 215 tonnes of the grain valued at $24 million have arrived Lagos and Tincan Island ports, noting that Standard Flour Mills (SFM) terminal has started offloading 15,203 tonnes from Dorysia at Lagos Port.

Two vessels had been moored at the Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited (ABTL) with 104,689 tonnes of the grain, noting that Desert Moon berthed with 53,459 tonnes and Bulk Pride, 51,230 tonnes as Capt Eugene laden with 30,000 tonnes has been positioned at Greenview Development Nigeria Limited (GDNL), while Sirina have been moored with 33,323 tonnes at Josepdam terminal, Tincan Island Port.

The union noted that the potential for Russian wheat exports to Nigeria was estimated at 2-3 million tonnes for the agricultural year (July 2024-June 2025).

The Chairman of GEU, Eduard Zernin, said that the wheat supplies to Nigeria ceased in May 2022, when the last shipment was made. Zernin explained: “Banks in the country almost immediately stopped payments for our deliveries, despite their humanitarian nature and exemption from sanctions.

The issue of payments remains the key challenge for the development of Russian grain exports.”

He added that since the cessation of Russian grain supplies, food security in Nigeria had sharply deteriorated, adding that by 2023, the number of hungry people in the country had almost doubled from 58 million in January 2023 to a staggering 97 million in January 2024.

The chairman said: “Today, it is the only country in the world where over 100 million people face food shortages. To be precise, our latest monitoring showed that 105 million hungry people.

Wheat is one of the most affordable food products. Rus – sia has enough export potential to at least help Nigeria alleviate hunger pressure on its population, if not completely solve the problem.”

Recall that the Federal Government had collaborated with the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN) and the Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) to achieve a target of 800,000 tonnes in 2024.

A recent satellite mapping and remote sensing study on cultivated acreage and yield estimate has revealed that around 277,577 hectares are presently being cultivated, reflecting a substantial 139 per cent surge from last year’s 115,909 hectares.

In August, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its international wheat outlook explained that wheat imports between January and July 2024 by Nigeria was 4.8 million tonnes.

Also, in May the country’s miller took delivery of $34 million worth of hard red winter wheat from United States. According to NPA’s shipping data, Spring Lotus offloaded 50,496 tonnes at ABTL as Rostrum discharged 37,736 tonnes at GDNL.

This year, Federal Government collaborated with the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN) and the Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) to achieve a target of 800,000 tonnes in 2024.

Also, satellite mapping and remote sensing study on cultivated acreage and yield estimate had unveiled that around 277,577 hectares were being cultivated, leading to a substantial increase by 139 per cent from 115,909 hectares in 2023.

The study, was focused on wheat cultivation in 15 Northern states and was conducted under the AfDB initiative and the National Agricultural Scheme – Agro-Pocket (NAGSAP) programme, indicating an expansion in the cultivated area.

The states include Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.