The National Association of Sunflower Growers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NASGMAN) has said Nigeria spends N7 billion yearly on sunflower import.
In a statement the National Chairman of NASDMAN, Alhaji Jibrin Bukar, said the growers were now set to replace the importation with locally grown sunflower.
The association elected its new leadership to run its affairs for the next four years at a conference attended by delegates from across the country at the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment in Abuja recently.
Members of the association vowed to embark on massive production of sunflower with the view to eliminating the importation of sunflower oil worth around N7 billion annually.
Alhaji Jibrin Bukar from Borno State, who was re-elected as president for a second term of four years, said sunflower farming was becoming widespread in the country, with over 3,000 registered farmers.
Elected along with the national president were six vice presidents, representing the six geo-political zones.
Gombe, Bauchi, Kano, Zamfara, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory are the major producers of the commodity, but it is gaining ground in all parts of the country.
