Vanguard
inquiries showed that the world sorghum production is forecast at 59.34million
metric tonnes in 2017/18. A breakdown of the data, obtained from the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA), showed that USA’s output is projected
at 8.4m metric tonnes while Nigeria is following with 6.4m metric tonnes and
Mexico in the third position with 6.0m metric tonnes.
According
to the USDA data, Sorghum production was 63.08 million tonnes last year. This
year’s output, at 59.34 million tonnes, represents a decrease of 3.74 million
tonnes or a -5.93 per cent in Sorghum production around the globe.
Meanwhile
a report from one of the major local industrial consumers of sorghum, Nigerian
Breweries Plc, NB, said that the industrial sector, especially food and
beverages, utilised 20 per cent or 1.3m metric tonnes of the grain as raw
materials in 2015, while 80 percent or 4.2 million tonnes were utilised to
produce food and livestock feeds.
NB,
in its Sustainability Report tagged, ‘Enhancing the Sorghum Value Chain’,
stated that its annual demand for Sorghum is approximately 100,000 metric
tonnes per annum.
Sorghum
is a local grain grown predominantly in the semi-arid, savannah and grassland
areas of Northern Nigeria and other parts of the world.
The
report stated that it is nutritionally rich and serves as a staple food in most
parts of northern Nigeria. It also stated that the grain has assumed commercial
relevance lately, especially in the food and beverage industry.
It
has been found to be a valuable ingredient next to malted barley used in the
brewery industry.
Source: www.vanguardngr.com
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