Nigeria Approves High-Performing Groundnut Variety SAMNUT 30 Developed by ICRISAT
Media release
Ibadan, Nigeria | April 2026: Nigeria has approved the release of SAMNUT 30 (ICGV 206228), a high-performing groundnut variety developed by ICRISAT, marking an important step toward enhancing productivity and resilience and food and nutrition security among smallholder farmers.
The new variety stands out for its high grain yield, strong stability across environments, and combined tolerance to major diseases including rosette disease, early leaf spot, and late leaf spot.
It also recorded the highest grain yield of 2,766 kg/ha, outperforming other candidate lines and exceeding the farmer-preferred varieties in the country by 14 percent.
In addition to grain yield, it also offers strong haulm yield (the total weight of above-ground vegetative biomass including stems and leaves), making it a dual-purpose variety for both food and fodder.
The variety was identified through a rigorous, multi-stage selection process.
Initially, ten medium-duration groundnut lines, along with the benchmark variety SAMNUT 29, were shortlisted from on-station trials conducted in 2022.
These lines were subsequently evaluated in replicated, multi-location trials across six sites in the Northern Guinea and Sudano-Sahelian savanna zones during the 2024 and 2025 growing seasons.
Three top-performing lines were then tested in on-farm trials in 2025 with 11 farmers across five locations in Kano, Jigawa, and Bauchi states.
These farmer-participatory trials confirmed the superior performance of ICGV 206228, which consistently delivered the highest yields and demonstrated strong adaptability across diverse agro-ecologies.
Welcoming the release, Director General of ICRISAT, Dr Himanshu Pathak, commended the strong collaboration among partners including the Nigerian National Variety Release Committee, NARS, Bayero University Kano (BUK) and the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), as well as the financial support of the Dryland Crops Program (DCP), formerly the Accelerated Varietal Improvement and Seed Systems in Africa (AVISA) project.
“This milestone underscores our strong and growing partnership with Nigeria’s agricultural research system to deliver impact where it matters.
“Building on ICRISAT’s experience in strengthening value chains across countries such as Malawi, India, and Bangladesh, we are confident SAMNUT 30 will strengthen food and nutrition security while creating new market opportunities for smallholder farmers in Nigeria" said Dr Pathak.
Groundnut is one of Nigeria’s most important legume crops, serving as both a cash and food crop with Nigeria ranking fourth globally and first in Africa in groundnut production, with an annual output of approximately 1.55–1.65 million metric tonnes.
ICRISAT Country Representative for Nigeria, Dr Angarawai, noted the central role of groundnut in Nigeria’s agricultural economy, where it serves as both a key source of income for millions of smallholder farmers and an important commodity in domestic and regional markets.
“Through close collaboration with national partners, ICRISAT supports the development and adaptation of improved groundnut varieties across Nigeria’s diverse agro-ecologies.
"This SAMNUT series reflects this effort to deliver high-performing varieties that respond to both farmer needs and evolving market demand" said Dr Angarawai.
Dr Victor Afari-Sefa, Director, Global Research Program, Transforming Agrifood Systems, ICRISAT highlighted the broader impact on farming systems.
“SAMNUT 30 offers a strong opportunity to raise yields, reduce losses from major diseases, and support improved incomes for smallholder farmers across Nigeria’s key groundnut-producing areas" said Dr Afari-Sefa.
The focus now shifts to large-scale seed production and dissemination to ensure that this improved variety reaches farmers’ fields in a timely and efficient manner.
SAMNUT 30 (ICGV 206228) was cleared by the National Variety Release Committee at its 36th meeting in Ibadan on 26 March 2026.
