Here's the latest in ESM's regular series, Notes From Africa, which brings you the latest retail, consumer goods and food and beverage stories from across the African continent. Past editions can be found here.
In this week's report:
Kenya: KBL To Invest $9 Million Into Local Sorghum Supply
Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) has set aside a 1 billion shillings fund ($9 million) to source sorghum from local farmers. The company intends to promote the commercial production of a new variety of the grain suitable for the production of Senator Keg, one of its most popular beer brands, which was launched in 2004. It plans to work with 15,000 new farmers in the west of the country as well generate a volume of 10,000 tonnes of sorghum by the long rainy season in mid-March 2022.
Malawi: Gala Agriculture Company Receives Support From Ulimi Fund
Malawi's Gala Agriculture Company has received a financial support package from the agriculture-focused private equity fund, Ulimi. This support should enable the company to expand its macadamia nut production and marketing business over the next five years. The company, which was launched in 2007, intends to become a big player in the nut industry in the future and aims to take advantage of soaring demand in the international market.
Egypt: GoodsMart Raises $3.6 Million For Expansion
Egyptian grocery platform GoodsMart has raised $3.6 million (€3 million) as it looks to expand in the local market. The company intends to take advantage of increasing consumer demand for online grocery shopping as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. It intends to expand in East Cairo over the next few months. GoodsMart, which was formed in 2014, enables allows consumers to access a wide range of products, order online and have them delivered.
Ghana: Government Launches Rice Processing Facility
The Ghanaian government has commissioned a rice processing plant in the country's Northern Region. The unit, worth $1.2 million, has an hourly production capacity of between 1.5 and 2.8 tonnes of rice. The factory, which comprises modern parboiling, milling and packaging lines, should generate 118 jobs, according to the authorities. This will depend on the local production network, encompassing 600 farmers, as well as a nucleus rice farm. In Ghana, demand for rice is on the rise, mainly in urban areas, due to its relative ease of preparation and palatable recipes.
Uganda: Pura Organics Gets A $2.5 Million Boost
Ugandan agro-processor Pura Organics has received a $2.5 million capital injection from Pearl Capital Partners. The funding will enable the company to acquire and install a vertically-integrated cassava processing plant. This facility will produce three products, including cassava flour, tapioca starch, and Sago starch. Pura Organics, which was incorporated in 2011, is looking to source most of its raw material from a combination of smallholder farmers and the commercial cassava farmers.
Nigeria: Dangote Sugar Refinery To Invest $1 Billion In Expansion
Nigeria's Dangote Sugar Refinery (DSR) will invest $1 billion in expanding its operations. This plan is expected to increase the company's refining capacity from 1.44 million tonnes to 2 million tonnes of raw sugar. The company also plans to increase its total cultivated area to 100,000 hectares of sugarcane in Taraba, Nassarawa and Adamawa States. Group revenue increased by 27.8% to N131.95 billion (€272 million) in the half-year ended June 30, 2021, in contrast to N103.23 billion (€213 million) recorded during the same period last year.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Espoir Olodo. For more A-Brands news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
