LAGOS, NIGERIA — Olam Agri and Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI) on Nov. 26 announced the release of a novel heat-tolerant and super-early durum wheat variety suitable for local cultivation during Nigeria’s dry season.

The company said the wheat variety’s release signals another milestone achievement for Olam Agri’s Seed for the Future wheat seed trial and multiplication effort, which was unveiled in 2021. The initiative is focused on removing hurdles to wheat production self-sufficiency in Nigeria and “prioritizes developing and cultivating seed varieties that suit the country’s unique topographic and climatic conditions and training a wide range of smallholder farmers on modern agronomic practices.”

In partnership with LCRI and Dr. Filippo Bassi, a specialist wheat breeder at the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the initiative achieved its first-year milestone of producing 10 kilograms of pre-multiplication wheat seed varieties in September 2022. In December, 10 women-owned farms will plant the seed variety, with hundreds of farms set to benefit in 2025 and thousands more in 2026, Olam Agri said.

ICARDA developed the “Crown” novel heat-tolerant and super-early durum wheat variety as part of the Olam Prize for Innovation. 

“The Crown wheat variety is tailored for the Nigerian growing conditions after working closely with local farmers to understand their needs, especially the need to grow wheat early and allow the farmers to harvest and replant rice on time,” Bassi said. “Based on test results, the variety is certified and suitable for pasta production.”

Olam Agri’s footprint in Africa in wheat milling and pasta production has expanded over the past 14 years. It produces wheat flour in Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal with domestic distribution in those markets and exports to Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso Chad, Central African Republic, Mali and Guinea. The company produces pasta in Nigeria for domestic retail consumption under a stable of consumer brands such as Mama Gold, Crown Premium, First Choice and Bijou.

“We are glad to reach this critical milestone of releasing a novel heat-tolerant durum-wheat seed variety tailored to the Nigerian farming condition,” said Nitin Meheta, managing director of Olam Agri’s flour milling business. “We consistently focus on making bold investments in projects that will enable the country to achieve its food production self-sufficiency goals and understand the importance of wheat-derivative food such as pasta, bread, confectioneries, pastries and biscuits in local dining.”

Each of the female cooperatives will now receive one quintal of Crown seeds, in addition to training in agronomic management and some initial financing to produce three tonnes of certified seeds ready for further usage by the farmers of their villages, Olam Agri said. They will then engage their farming communities to further multiply it to 30 tonnes of seeds and commercialize it for use in Nigeria.

Anil Nair, managing director of Olam Agri’s operations in Nigeria, emphasized the company’s dedication to food security.

“The milestone release of the novel durum wheat seed variety supports the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and focus on food security,” Nair said. “This initiative is not only advancing greater domestic wheat production but is also empowering women farmers to play a critical role in scaling up farming communities. The future is bright for the food value chain, and we look forward to 100% Nigerian-grown wheat.”