Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN), a longstanding leader in Nigeria’s agro-allied sector, has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing food security in Nigeria by promoting local content development through substantial investments in the agriculture and agro-allied sectors.

This pledge, articulated in a recent statement, reinforces the company’s signature “Feeding the Nation Every Day” agenda, a cornerstone of its 65-year strategy aimed at reducing dependency on imported raw materials, fostering sustainable growth, and supporting millions of Nigerian families.

In a recent statement, Group Chief Executive Officer Boye Olusanya highlighted FMN’s role beyond mere business operations.

“For over six decades, the Group has been a source of livelihood for millions of Nigerian families by providing both direct and indirect employment. And more than any other business in the country, we have guarded our national heritage with trust, ensuring that our activities are sustainable for the country, the environment, and most importantly, for the people,” Olusanya said.

FMN’s agricultural endeavors trace back to 1978, when it acquired a 10,000-hectare farm in Kaboji, Niger State, to strengthen the sugar supply chain and curb import dependency.

Over the years, the company has expanded its investments to include the cultivation of key crops such as soya beans, palm fruits, cassava, wheat, maize, sugarcane, and sorghum. Additionally, FMN engages in the aggregation and distribution of locally sourced grains, bolstering the domestic supply chain.

Empowering farmers through outgrower programs

A cornerstone of FMN’s strategy is its outgrower program and agronomy support systems, which have empowered more than 400,000 farmers nationwide by offering essential inputs, training, and reliable market access.

These farmers play a vital role in supplying raw materials for FMN’s popular food brands, including Golden Penny Foods. Through its subsidiary, Golden Agri Inputs Limited under FMN Agro Ltd, the company has established farming schemes benefiting over 50,000 Nigerian farmers.

These initiatives provide high-yielding hybrid seed varieties, advanced agronomy techniques, storage facilities, and guaranteed off-take markets for crops like maize, sorghum, cassava, wheat, soya beans, and palm kernels.

Olusanya reiterated FMN’s unwavering commitment to local content development for the attainment of food self-sufficiency in Nigeria and progressively across the continent, aligning with broader African goals for sustainable agriculture.

To further its objectives, FMN has adopted four key strategies as outlined in its sustainability efforts: governance, finance, environment, and social impact.

Under governance, the company adheres to best practices to sustain natural ecosystems. Financially, FMN focuses on generating economic value for local communities, with supplier payments increasing from N552.5 billion (US$361 million) in 2021 to N649.9 billion (US$425 million) in 2022, emphasizing procurement from local sources and backward integration.

Environmentally, FMN minimizes operational impacts, recycling thousands of metric tonnes of packaging materials and monitoring emissions, water use, and waste. On the social front, the group promotes diversity, occupational health, and education, including partnerships for student grants and vocational training across Nigerian states.

These strategies have earned FMN accolades, such as the Sustainability, Enterprise, and Responsibility Awards for best supply chain management, and ISO 27001 certification as the first indigenous FMCG organization in Nigeria to achieve it.


Source: Milling Middle East and Africa, Aug 29, 2025