Bühler opened a grains application center in Kano, Nigeria dedicated to processing local and ancient grains, to support food development with local grains. The Grain Processing and Innovation Center (GPIC) was developed in collaboration with Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc. The project aims to address food insecurity across Africa, Bühler says.
Local grains such as sorghum and millet have unique benefits and can play a vital role in improving food security. These raw materials are underused today and Bühler is working on developing solutions to process these types of grains*.
The GPIC is a three-floor building spanning an area of 480 square meters, housing pilot-scale production facilities, research and development labs, and classrooms. The production facility includes all steps of processing, from cleaning and sorting to dehulling, tempering, and milling. The plant is built around Bühler`s high-compression AlPesa grinding system. The GPIC will enable manufacturers, researchers, and Bühler’s partners to work together on cost-efficient food processing solutions for local grains such as sorghum, millet, maize, soybeans, and other local crops such as cassava, different types of beans, nuts, and seeds.
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.
Local grains and crops offer many benefits and are therefore a key tool in improving food security. They have high nutrient density with valuable vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fats, are climate tolerant and able to withstand high temperatures and arid conditions, and require less fertilizer and pesticide than other grains. “With these characteristics, local grains are ideal plants to be cultivated in Africa, specifically under the conditions of accelerating climate change,” says Ali Hmayed, Head of Bühler’s new GPIC in Kano. The main reasons these local grains and crops have not yet been integrated into industrial solutions are complex, ranging from low farming volumes and short shelf life to a lack of process knowledge and equipment. Together with its partners, Bühler is now taking a major step to break through this blockage and is open to further collaborations.
The Application and Training Center was founded in partnership with Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN), and its collaborating partners, such as Olam Agri. It has research and development capabilities aimed at optimizing the industrial processing of these grains for 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 addition to improving the food value chain, we see great business opportunities with a new category of processed food,” says John Coumantaros, Chairman of the Board of Flour Mills of Nigeria. Commenting on the foreseeable impact of the Application and Training Center, Coumantaros stated: “FMN has always been at the forefront of driving food self-sufficiency in Nigeria and progressively across the continent. The application center is well positioned to sustainably develop local grains, create business opportunities, and provide viable alternatives to some imported raw materials used in production. Therefore, this partnership further demonstrates our consistency in developing local content and in our commitment to feeding and enriching lives, every day.”
“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.
*More information about the potential of using sorghum in baking can be found in the book ‘Sustainability and innovations supporting it’, in the chapter “Climate-smart grains: opportunities to include sorghum in Western bakery”, by Rubina Rumler, Regine Schönlechner, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Department of Food Science and Technology, Institute of Food Technology, BOKU.
Photos: Bühler
