Sorghum is locally called Guinea corn or dawa in Nigeria. Today Sorghum is cultivated across the world in warmer climatic areas. It is quantitatively the world’s fifth largest most important cereal grain after wheat, maize, rice and barley. Sorghum production is increasingly forming the foundation of successful food and beverage industries in Nigeria.
Nigeria is the second largest producer of sorghum, after the USA. Some states that produce sorghum in large quantities include Plateau, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Gombe, Bauchi, Zamfara, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa and Taraba.
Nigeria produces 6.7 million tons of sorghum annually. A major portion of sorghum grain is used by the larger beer sector, followed by the non alcoholic malt sector. Sorghum is also used as a substitute flour and is to be prepared and eaten as “swallow” which is similar to semovita or semolina.
