In Nigeria, nutritious meals are increasingly becoming a luxury, especially protein. For both adults, and especially children, eating healthy is getting harder, and rising food prices are not helping.
Nigeria ranks low in the global Food Security Index. The country with a Global Hunger Index score of 28.8 in 2024 ranked 110th out of 127 countries. The index termed the level of hunger in the country as “alarming.”
The country’s accelerating inflation is eroding consumers’ purchasing power and forcing many households to skip meals and feed mostly on starchy foods that are very high in carbohydrates but often cheaper.
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With nutritious food currently eluding many Nigerian households owing to the continuous rise in prices, the country’s per capita protein intake gap will further widen, and the number of malnourished persons will increase. Nigeria’s score of protein intake is 32 over 100.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, Nigeria has the highest burden of malnutrition in Africa and the second highest globally.
Feeding children with more of everything but proteins has a role to play in the nutritional and health outcomes that presently do not favour Nigeria. Yet, getting the required protein intake does not have to cost so much.
A relatively cheap source, already known but not adequately consumed, is Soybean. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) says soybean has an average protein content of 40 percent and is more protein rich than any of the common vegetable or animal food sources found in Nigeria.
Soybean can be successfully grown in several states in the country and cultivation has expanded as a result of its nutritive and economic importance and diverse domestic uses.
It is also a prime source of vegetable oil in the international market. The seeds contain about 20 percent oil on a dry matter basis and this is 85 percent unsaturated and cholesterol-free, according to IITA.
Olam Agri changing the narrative
Considering the importance of protein foods to sound physiological growth, Olam Agri through its animal feed business is partnering with the Kwara State Government to increase productivity in the soybean value chain.
Soybean is the main source of protein and amino acids (AA) used in animal feed formulations. It is also a good source of polyunsaturated oil, milk and tofu, which are packed with valuable nutrients.
Strategically, boosting the production of soybeans will improve access to quality and affordable animal feed ingredients with a positive impact on the poultry and aquaculture segments.
Another impact angle is the fact that it will contribute to the local sourcing of raw materials for animal feed which will reduce overall production costs for farmers leading to increased farm productivity/profitability.
Currently, Olam Agri is the leading animal feed and day-old chick producer in Nigeria, providing quality, affordable poultry and fresh-water fish feed, and chicks to farmers. It operates one of Nigeria’s largest poultry feed mills and day-old-chick facilities in Kaduna and Kwara States. These facilities are already serving the country’s expanding poultry and aquaculture sectors.
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The business’ current partnership with the Kwara State government in the soybean value chain builds on previous investments in the state and other agriculture-focused states such as Kano, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Ondo and Ogun amongst others.
Olam Agri’s investment in the soybean value chain has been impressive. In July 2024, the Integrated Feed &Protein (IFP) Business of Olam Agri launched a two-day Agri-Extension Capacity Building Workshop to empower agricultural extension agents and officers in the soybean and maize value chain in Kwara State.
The workshop provided a platform for equipping extension agents with practical knowledge and skills to support farmers effectively, a significant stride towards the overall development of the agricultural sector. Overall, a total of 118 extension officers were trained.
Following the success of the training workshop, Olam Agri visited the soybean-producing communities in Baruten Local Government Area, Kwara State,in December 2024, to engage with farmers, and the local chiefs and donate threshing machines to aid soybean cultivation.
During the engagement, Oloruntoyosi Thomas, Kwara State’s commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, commended the business for its transformative investment.
She mentioned that the State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, is impressed with the business seeing that the effort will foster growth in local food production and enhance the livelihood of the farming community.
The foremost traditional ruler in the soybean farming community, Idris Abubakar, his royal highness, the Sinaboko Serobetete III, praised Olam Agri for prioritising growth in the soybean value chain.
He said that the investment would boost farming activities in the community while impacting positively on the ongoing national food security agenda.
To sum up the soybean value chain investment focus, Anil Nair, managing director of Olam Agri in Nigeria, explained that the business aim is to support the Federal Government Renewed Hope Agenda of building a resilient food supply chain.
He stated, “By investing in tools, training, and sustainable practices, we aim to significantly impact Kwara State’s economy, create jobs, and enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Together, we are fostering agricultural self-sufficiency and socioeconomic development.”
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The role of partnerships
The federal government, global agencies and private agencies continue to seek ways to tackle the challenges. Recently, the federal government called on state governments to join concertedly in what may be described as the journey to end the food crisis in the country, while extending hands of fellowship to private stakeholders to drive a robust campaign.
Also recently, the government began engagement with stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of the Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ-1) programme aimed at transforming Nigeria’s agricultural sector into a key driver of economic growth and industrialisation, emphasising the importance of collaboration with the private sector in achieving increased domestic production, job creation, and poverty alleviation.
One private business spearheading the search for a sustainable solution to the food security and protein deficiency challenges in the country is Olam Agri,an agribusiness in food, feed and fibre.
The company consistently scaled its investment in various out-grower programmes, research partnerships, seed trials, and the integration of smallholder farmers into various empowerment initiatives across different levels.
Food value chain projections
Precisely, Olam Agri’s animal feed business activities in the soybean value chain speak to the overall focus of the agribusiness. As a business that started in Nigeria three decades ago, its investment footprint in the agriculture landscape continues to expand.
Like its exploits in the rice, wheat milling and edible oil value chain, Olam Agri’s partnership with the Kwara State Government will improve local production of soybeans and drive up the supply of feeds to poultry and aquaculture farmers.
This is a welcome development and a step in the right direction. No doubt deepening such efforts will help arrest the dire food insecurity situation highlighted in the GFSI.
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