Manny Ita –
Nigerian Breweries Plc has called for stronger government and industry support to scale up local barley production in Nigeria, saying collaboration across the agricultural ecosystem is essential to reduce the country’s dependence on imported malted barley.
The company made the call during its Maltina Barley Field Day held in Ringim, Jigawa State, where it showcased the results of its pilot barley cultivation programme aimed at developing a domestic supply chain for the brewing industry.
Nigeria’s brewing sector currently imports about 200,000 tonnes of malted barley annually, a dependency that costs the country more than $150 million in foreign exchange each year.
Through the Maltina Barley Programme, more than 1,000 smallholder farmers cultivated barley during the current planting season, with total output expected to exceed 1,000 tonnes. The company said the outcome demonstrates that barley can be successfully grown in Nigerian soil, although current output remains far below national demand.
“Our ambition is clear: to develop a barley value chain that is rooted in Nigerian soil, powered by Nigerian farmers, and capable of meeting the quality standards required by industry,” said Thibaut Boidin.
“However, we must also be realistic. This ambition cannot be achieved by the private sector alone. Together, we are not just growing barley. We are growing skills, opportunity, and resilience in Nigerian agriculture,” he added.
The company said moving from pilot cultivation to industrial-scale production would require coordinated action involving government agencies, farmers, research institutions, financial partners and other stakeholders within the agricultural value chain.
According to Federico Agressi, developing a sustainable barley supply chain in Nigeria will take sustained commitment from multiple stakeholders.
“Building a sustainable commercial barley value chain in Nigeria is a long journey; and it will require hard work and persistence from everyone involved. This starts with the local farming communities, and includes seed companies, input providers, financing partners, aggregators and, above all, strong and consistent support from government,” Agressi said.
The company also noted that a supportive policy framework would be necessary during the transition period, including import allowances that would enable breweries to maintain production while local capacity is gradually expanded.
Research and development efforts supporting the programme have been carried out in collaboration with the Lake Chad Research Institute and Secobra Research. These efforts led to the registration of three high-yield barley varieties—Traveler, Explorer and Prunella—in 2024.
A separate joint study conducted with IDH and Dalberg also identified more than 400,000 hectares of land across northern Nigeria suitable for barley cultivation.
Under the programme’s long-term plan, Nigerian Breweries aims to empower about 20,000 farmers by 2030, although the company stressed that achieving this goal would depend on sustained cooperation between government, development partners and private sector players to provide financing, infrastructure and stable policies needed to support large-scale production.
