SINGAPORE — Olam Agri, an international company focused on the food, feed and fiber in emerging markets, plans to build a pasta production facility and expand its wheat flour production capacity in Ghana in a two-phase project with the potential to meet total pasta demand in the West African nation of over 33 million people.
Olam Agri, which is 64.5% owned by Singapore-based Olam Group, has operated in Ghana for three decades and said it intends to bring pasta products closer to consumers with the country’s only production facility, directly sourcing and milling premium wheat for better quality control.
“With this facility, we will be able to bring high-quality, highly nutritious, and affordable pasta products closer to our Ghanaian consumers than ever before,” said Baibhav Biswas, country head of Olam Agri in Ghana. “This speaks of our commitment to Ghana and our efforts to contribute positively to the economic development and food security in the country thanks to greater stability in the supply and affordability of pasta. We hope that this raises the bar for the entire industry. It is an exciting chapter for Ghana’s food landscape, and the future of pasta looks bright and delicious.”
Olam Agri has established a significant wheat milling and pasta production business in Africa over the past 14 years. The company produces wheat flour in Ghana, as well as in Nigeria, Senegal and Cameroon with domestic distribution in all of these markets and exports to Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso Chad, Central African Republic, Mali and Guinea. The company currently produces pasta in Nigeria for domestic retail consumption under consumer brands such as Mama Gold, Crown Premium, First Choice and Bijou.
“Our expertise in wheat milling operations, consumer insights and on-the-ground network has allowed us to foster long-term relationships with consumer and business customers,” said Saurabh Mehra, global managing director for processing and value-added products at Olam Agri. “This expansion in Ghana comes amidst growing demand in the country and broader region for high-quality food products. It is underpinned by a number of long-term fundamentals, including demographic change, increasing urbanization, and the development of the food sector, including the downstream sectors. We are committed to building our processing footprint in Ghana.”
