Nigeria’s wheat production is set for a significant boost in the 2024/2025 planting season, following the introduction of a heat-tolerant, super-early durum wheat variety. The initiative, spearheaded by Olam Agri and the Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI), aims to optimize cultivation during the harmattan season and reduce the country’s reliance on wheat imports. The new variety, dubbed “crown wheat,” is designed to thrive in Nigeria’s unique topographical and climatic conditions.
Filippo Bassi, a specialist wheat breeder at the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), highlighted that crown wheat was developed after consultations with local farmers to meet their need for early-maturing crops. The variety, tested with Crown Flour Mill Nigeria, has been certified suitable for high-quality pasta production, making it a potential game-changer for the country’s wheat industry.
Kachalla Mala, a breeder at LCRI and project lead, emphasized the importance of accessible, high-yielding seed varieties for farmers. “The release of crown wheat marks a significant step forward,” Mala stated. He added that the project will collaborate with women’s cooperative unions and local farmers to commercialize the seeds, multiplying their impact across the farming sector.
Nigeria’s reliance on imported wheat, driven by low domestic production, remains a significant economic challenge. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the country imported over ₦460 billion worth of durum wheat in the first half of 2024 alone. The new variety is part of Olam Agri’s broader strategy to improve food security and train smallholder farmers, with a particular focus on empowering rural women to scale up farming communities.
Nitin Mehta, managing director of Crown Flour Mill Ltd, noted that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda for food sufficiency. Anil Nair, Olam’s managing director for agri operations in Nigeria, added, “This milestone supports greater domestic wheat production while empowering women farmers. The future looks bright for Nigeria’s food value chain as we work towards 100% locally grown wheat.”
