Nigeria is now highest maize producer in Africa

• 27 Dec, 2018
• Nigeria

Nigeria has now been confirmed as Africa's highest producer of maize with 12 million metric tonnes annually.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, mentioned at the launch of Fall GoldMax
pesticides and inauguration of a 24-man task force committee to tackle Fall Armyworm, in Abuja.

He further said that he is glad that Nigeria is Africa’s largest maize producer. Moreover, he is looking at producing 12 and a half tonnes of maize as they are the largest producer of rice, cassava, and yam. He highlighted that the government will buy a pesticide called Goldmax and subsidize it to farmers in order to fight against Fall Armyworm which has impacted the production of maize.

 Nigeria now Africa’s highest producer of maize –FG
He also said that farmers will grow maize which they will consume as they are going to buy large consignments of the
chemicals and give them to farmers which will help them in enhancing their production. Also, the major problem that they are facing is rejection because of the residues of chemicals that are found in the crops that they export. But, he is hopeful that this chemical will help in solving this problem.
Country Representative of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Suffyan appealed to the Federal Government to
declare a national emergency in order to tackle this issue. He further stressed that since existing demand of maize is met by local supply, so existing gap will widen because of the current wave of maize devastation.
He further said that the government of Nigeria should declare a national emergency on Fall Armyworm to build on FAO-
supported intervention and ensure continuity and sustainability of the project and upscale it to other states that are not
covered by the FAO Technical Cooperation Project, which would end in December 2018.