Africa's first traditional grains processing center opens in Nigeria


 

BY PAUL TENTENA IN KANO, NIGERIA

Bühler, in collaboration with Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, has opened a grains application center in Nigeria dedicated to processing local and ancient grains. 

This sustainable and transformative commitment was made based on the need to address food insecurity, not just in Nigeria, but progressively across the African continent. 

Today around 2.3 billion people in the world live in food insecure conditions, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. With their specific advantages, local grains such as sorghum and millet can play a vital role in improving food security, particularly in Africa. 

Use of these raw materials is at a low level today, and processing is not developed. To address this challenge, Bühler opened a dedicated Application & Training Center with research and development capabilities in Kano, Nigeria, together with its founding partner, Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN), and its collaborating partners, such as Olam Agri.

The main goal is to bring industrial processing of these grains to the next level and thereby contribute to affordable nutrition.
"Sustainable food value chains utilizing local grains are the number one priority to develop Africa," says Johannes Wick, CEO of Bühler's Grains & Food segment.

In close collaboration with the Bühler African Milling School in Nairobi, Kenya, the GPIC also offers training and education courses on local grains and their advantages and requirements in cultivation and processing. 





Additionally, this new Application & Training Center will enable Bühler to optimize its processing portfolio for local grains in terms of both performance and cost efficiency. The GPIC is embedded in Bühler's global network of 25 Application & Training Centers. The first series of trials with customers has already been agreed upon.


Strengthening food security and economy

One key reason for the challenging food situations in Africa is that many regions of the continent are strong importers of grains, mainly wheat and rice. This makes them vulnerable to trade disruptions and foreign exchange rate fluctuations. 


"Local grains offer many opportunities, not only to increase food security but also to generate new jobs in agriculture and adjacent markets, as well as enabling countries to become more independent from imports," states Ali Hmayed.





The transformation of the food supply chain in Africa will not happen overnight. "This requires concerted efforts across numerous sectors, including agriculture, processing, recipe development, end-product innovation, and consumer engagement," says John Coumantaros from FMN.


"Together with our partners, we at Bühler are happy to now contribute to this system change with the aim of ensuring that more people in Africa have access to affordable and healthy food, thereby reducing hunger and malnutrition," says Bühler's Johannes Wick.


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