Nigerian wheat not poisonous — FG

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has faulted the assertion that labelled Nigeria’s wheat as poisonous because it contains gluten.

The Director, Federal Department of Agriculture of the ministry, Hajiya Karima Babangida, said it was wrong to label Nigeria’s wheat as poisonous by some western countries.

Mrs Babangida, represented by Naphtali D. Telta, National Wheat Value Chain Desk Officer during a Capacity Building for Wheat Farmers on Good Agricultural Practices for Wheat Storage, held in Kano, said gluten has never been a poisonous content in wheat.

She said “If wheat was poisonous, it would have finished the European race, it would have finished the Arab race, it would have also finished the Israeli race because their food depends on wheat.”

“One of the challenges of wheat production in Nigeria is politically centred around the crop by some western countries. Some western countries are trying all they can to ensure that Nigeria does not become self-sufficient in wheat production.”

The Director explained that it could be true that there are some people that are allergic to wheat, but that doesn’t conclude that it is poisonous.

The National President of Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Salim Saleh Muhammad, attributed the challenges of wheat farming in the country to the failure of government to fund the farmers.

He therefore called on the federal government to support the association with all its different types of interventions to agriculture in the country.