USDA forecasts improved wheat consumption in Nigeria

A report by Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released last month has put wheat consumption in Nigeria at 4.632 million tonnes in 2016/17, up nearly 14 percent from 4.070 million tonnes in 2015/16. Consumption in 2017/18 is forecast higher at 4.66 million tonnes.


The report attributed the increase in wheat consumption to higher prices of other major locally grown crops, a situation that has led consumers to seek out wheat as a cheaper grain alternative.

The report also estimated consumption of rice in 2016/17 at 5.281 million tonnes, down 12 percent from six million tonnes in 2015/16.

The report noted that “With Nigeria’s market remaining price-conscious, the weakening purchasing power of consumers is expected to continue to impact grains consumption negatively.” It listed inadequate support to farmers by the Federal Government, inadequate basic infrastructure, rising cost of farming inputs and insecurity challenges to agricultural development and productivity in the country.”

While domestic production of wheat in Nigeria remains small at about 60,000 tonnes per year, wheat imports in Nigeria for the 2016/17 marketing year are forecast at 4.972 million tonnes, up from 4.410 million tonnes in 2015/16. The United States accounts for about 40 percent of Nigeria’s wheat imports, but because of the higher protein content of U.S. wheat and subsequent premium that wheat commands, the growth rate of U.S. wheat market share in Nigeria has been flat, the USDA noted.


“To be competitive, millers in Nigeria have continued to blend the higher quality U.S. wheat with the less expensive, lower quality wheat from other countries, including Russia,” the USDA noted. “However, more discerning youthful consumers are also increasingly requesting better quality products, which can only be achieved from high quality wheat flour. As a result, Nigerian millers are increasingly seeking wheat flour specifically for pizza, pasta, dough, etc. These wheat flour-based products are relatively new to the Nigerian consumers but the demand for the products has been growing steadily over the past decade.”

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