Zim firm to invest $500m in Zambia
ZAMBIA – A Zimbabwean company plans to invest about US$500 million in sugar cane cultivation and sugar refining in Luapula Province.
Year: 2014
Alpha Omega Dairy to double milk production
ZIMBABWE – Alpha Omega Dairy will in the next few months double milk production from the current 22 000 litres a day, an official said on Friday.
Minister axes two more board bosses of meat firm
KENYA – A week after axing 10 commissioners of Kenya Meat Commission, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei has sent home two other officials, leaving only the processor’s chairman on the board.
Delta injects $13m on key ingredients
ZIMBABWE – Leading beverages manufacturer Delta Corporation says it has spent an estimated $13 million financing the production of sorghum and barley, key ingredients required by the firm to sustainably run and support its breweries.
US firms plan rice, avocado plants in Meru
KENYA – Two American investors have expressed interest in establishing rice and avocado factories in Meru. The rice investor from Aviva Company last week toured the site where the factory is to be established.
Shoprite, Spar eat words over food storm
SOUTH AFRICA – Food behemoths Shoprite and Spar tried this week to defuse the row over whether their stores altered or removed food labels on outdated food products that could make people ill.
Let’s observe packaging hygiene – State
ZAMBIA – Government says it is concerned about the unhygienic re-packaging of various products on the market into small packets.
Coca-Cola raises African investment to $17bn
AFRICA – Coca-Cola plc, one of the biggest non-alcoholic beverage companies in the world, has pledged to invest $5 billion in Africa over the next six years.
Parmalat unveils K5 billion milk powder plant
ZAMBIA – Parmalat Zambia Limited has commissioned a new five billion kwacha milk powder plant at its Mungwi road premises in Lusaka.
Agric firms’ earnings soar on higher palm oil prices
NIGERIA – Two major agriculture firms operating in Nigeria’s oil palm sector which are quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) have recorded the strongest growth in six quarters, as second-quarter 2014 earnings spiked on increased price of palm oil at the international market, BusinessDay analysis shows.
Scientists disagree on GMO Bill
UGANDA – Going by the contradicting views from various stakeholders including disagreements among scientists, Parliament will have an uphill task in refining the National Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill to especially safeguard the interests of Uganda against the interests of multinational seed giants like Mosanto.
Nigeria’s cocoa prices fall as mold reduces bean quality
NIGERIA – Cocoa prices received by farmers in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, declined as mold induced by heavy rains reduced the quality of the chocolate ingredient, said Socodevi, an organisation working on improving crops in the country, reports Bloomberg.
Rules for premium brandy tightened
SOUTH AFRICA – Brandy drinkers who consider themselves connoisseurs will have something to cheer about, as new rules may mean an improvement in the quality of premium brandy.
Tuskys MD replaced after failed Ukwala takeover
KENYA – Retail chain Tuskys Supermarkets has replaced its managing director barely a week after it lost a multi-million-shilling bid to acquire rival Ukwala supermarkets stores.
Tuskys MD replaced after failed Ukwala takeover
KENYA – Retail chain Tuskys Supermarkets has replaced its managing director barely a week after it lost a multi-million-shilling bid to acquire rival Ukwala supermarkets stores.
Africa to have largest working-age population by 2035′
AFRICA – The working-age population of Nigeria and other African countries will be the largest in the world by 2035, McKinsey & Co, a global management consulting firm has predicted.
Drop in Senator sales hits 20,000 sorghum farmers
KENYA – The impact of the drop in Senator Keg sales is now set to be felt by farmers in Western and Eastern Kenya who have since 2008 been supplying EABL with the cheap grain.
Fresh produce farmers, firms banned from EU market
KENYA – More than 5,000 horticulture farmers and 11 horticulture firms have been banned from exporting fresh produce to the European Union (EU) market.
State appoints team to run new agriculture units
KENYA – The Government has appointed an interim team of ten agriculture professionals to head new directorates created recently under the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority (AFFA).
Foreign whiskey brands eye Nigeria’s $2.84bn alcohol market
NIGERIA – As Nigerian elites develop increasing taste for alcoholic beverages, more foreign alcohol brands are eyeing the market valued at $2.84 billion, according to an International Wine and Spirit Research (IWSR) report.
Coffee prices rise by a third in first week after recess
KENYA – The price of a 50 kilogramme bag coffee increased to $202 (Sh17,748) at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) from $152 (Sh13, 224) during the last auction held in July.
Managers of poorly run public sugarcane firms put on notice
KENYA – Government plans to do away with poor management and obsolete machinery, which have contributed to the stagnation of the sugar sector.
Coca Cola Kwanza to invest in Southern Highlands fruit farms
TANZANIA – Fruit farmers in the Southern highlands will soon have a market for their fruits as Coca Cola Kwanza Company plans to establish a processing industry that will use their produce from the region.
Tuskys shops shut as regulator stops takeover of Ukwala stores
KENYA – Retail chain Tuskys Supermarkets yesterday shut down two of its Nairobi branches after the competition regulator stalled its bid to acquire six stores belonging to rival Ukwala in the city’s central business district (CBD).