Olam Agri Visits AfricaRice: Strengthening Collaboration for Rice Development in Africa

Olam Agri and AfricaRice teams in meeting. (Credit: AfricaRice)

On February 5, 2025, Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) welcomed a delegation from Olam Agri to its research station in M’bé, Côte d’Ivoire. This visit aimed to explore collaboration opportunities between the two organizations and showcase AfricaRice’s advancements in rice breeding, seed systems, and post-harvest technologies.

The Olam Agri delegation, led by Dr. Umaru Ismaila (Chief Agronomist) and Appibhai Zakir Hussain (Head - Rice Breeder), had insightful discussions with AfricaRice’s research team. After introductions, Dr. Prem Bindraban (Deputy Director General) and Dr. Futakuchi Koichi (Sustainable Productivity Lead) highlighted AfricaRice’s expertise, programs, and the critical role of private-sector partnerships in advancing rice development. Dr. Shailesh Yadav outlined the Genetic Diversity and Improvement Program focusing on breeding pipelines, targeted market segments in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and key achievements in genetic improvement and varietal development, while Dr. Saidu Bah introduced AfricaRice’s Seed System, which focuses on improving access to high-quality seeds across Africa. Olam Agri representatives shared their initiatives and interest in collaboration with AfricaRice. The meeting concluded with discussions on joint efforts to enhance productivity, seed quality, and post-harvest technologies.

Research Facility Visits

To showcase its impactful research, the AfricaRice team led the Olam Agri delegation on an immersive tour of its cutting-edge laboratories and facilities:

·       The Rice Biodiversity Center, led by Dr. Ndjiondjop, which conserves and studies rice genetic diversity.

·       The Grain Quality and Post-Harvest Laboratory, presented by Dr. Ndindeng, where innovations for rice processing and storage are developed.

·       The Molecular Biology Laboratory, managed by Dr. Nana, focuses on genomic research for rice breeding.The Rice Disease Screening Facility, led by Dr. Onaga, focuses on developing disease-resistant rice varieties.

The delegation also visited varietal demonstration plots, Rapid Generation Advancement (RGA) facility, and the breeding seed processing and storage facility to observe AfricaRice’s cutting-edge work in varietal development.

Strengthening Partnerships for the Future

This visit marked an important step in strengthening AfricaRice and Olam Agri’s collaboration. The fruitful discussions and research facility visits opened new avenues for joint efforts to boost rice production, enhance grain quality, and improve resilience to climate change.

Olam Agri and AfricaRice teams at the end of the visit. (Credit: AfricaRice)