Food Business Africa

Egypt’s local production of edible oil, meal to rise following expansion of crushing capacity

Apr 9, 2021Apr 9, 2021 Editor

EGYPT – Egypt to continue relying on oil seed imports as a result of expansion of its crushing industry and local production being far below demand levels. The main oil seeds utilized in the country for production of both edible oils and animal feeds are soybeans and sunflower seeds. In marketing year (MY) 2021/22, production of soybeans is expected to be 25,000 metric tons (MT), against local demand of 4.64 million metric tons (MMT), according USDA Foreign Agricultural Services in a GAIN report. The consumption rate is 2.2 percent up…

South Africa’s edible oil imports to decline in 2021/22 resulting from rise in crushing capacity by 3%

Apr 9, 2021Apr 10, 2021 Editor

SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa’s oil seed sector is expected to witness a bumper harvest in Marketing Year (MY) 2021/22, which will result to a drop in edible oil imports to 940,000 tons. Soybean oil imports are forecast to be around 130,000 tons and for sunflower seed oil to be at about 260,000 tons. According to a GAIN report prepared by USDA Foreign Agricultural Services, the decline will follow a 3% rise in edible oil imports in 2020/21 MY to around 950,000 tons. South Africa imported an estimated 150,000 tons…

Ethiopia’s oil seeds production to marginally decline due to drop in sesame production

Mar 31, 2021Mar 31, 2021 Editor

ETHIOPIA – Ethiopia’s oil seeds production i.e., sesame seed, Niger seed, and soybeans in marketing year 2020/21 (October to September) is estimated to reach 705,000 metric tons, slightly down by 0.3 percent over previous year. The production quantities of Niger seed and soybean during the period under review are estimated to increase by 2 and 14 percent, respectively, over last year’s level reaching 300,00 metric tons (MT) for Niger seed and 150,000 MT for Soybean. Expansion in planted acreage and improved yield due to good weather conditions are set to…

Upfield commits to sustainable development of shea sector, joins Global Shea Alliance

Mar 24, 2021Mar 24, 2021 Editor

GHANA – Upfield, the global leader in plant-based nutrition and the leading producer of plant-based margarines, spreads and cheeses has joined the Global Shea Alliance (GSA). The company has also registered as a GSA sustainability partner, committing to promoting the sustainable development of the shea sector. GSA is a non-profit industry association with 560 members from 35 countries, including women’s groups, brands and retailers, suppliers, and NGOs, headquartered in Accra, Ghana. Through public-private partnerships, the alliance promotes industry sustainability, quality practices and standards, and demand for shea in food and…

Ghana to regulate oil palm sector, cocoa value chain actors and score performance of processing companies

Mar 22, 2021Mar 24, 2021 Editor

GHANA – Ghana, through the Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana (OPDAG) under the auspices of Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA), is set to regulate the oil palm sector to help transform and boost the economy through trading. The move, targeting to manage cultivation and pricing of the commodity, is also aimed to enhance market access for palm oil value chain players and ensure that finished products meet both local and international market standards, reports Ghana News Agency. “The license would help unveil bad practitioners of oil palm plantation to…

Cameroonian SODECOTON to build US$45.5m cottonseed oil plant, Ethiopian edible manufacturer expands facilities

Mar 18, 2021Mar 18, 2021 Editor

CAMEROON – SODECOTON, Cameroonian state- owned enterprise in charge of managing the cotton sector, has made preparation to construct XAF25 billion (US$45.5 million) cotton seed oil production plant in Tchabal Margol-Ngaoundéré, Adamaoua. This is in anticipation to a rise in cotton production to at least 400,000 tons per annum by 2025 in the country. The new oil production plant with a daily pressing capacity of 300 tons, will be the third similar infrastructure owned by SODECOTON, joining the facilities in Garoua and Maroua, reports Business in Cameroon. To facilitate funding…

Grüninger develops new technology to produce palm-free vegan margarine

Mar 11, 2021Mar 11, 2021 Editor

SWITZERLAND – Replacing solid palm fat with alternative oils in margarines will now become possible thanks to a new technology developed by leading Swiss producer of industrial and commercial margarines Grüninger AG. According to the company, the new technology makes it possible to produce palm-free, vegan and vegetarian margarines in which any off-note flavours are effectively taste-masked. The new technology is centred on a natural rosemary extract-derived antioxidant that extends the products’ shelf-life and increases heat stability during baking. Employed to overcome common hurdles that arise when replacing solid palm…

Edible oil processor Bidco Uganda undertakes second palm oil production project to boost output

Mar 9, 2021Mar 9, 2021 Editor

UGANDA – Bidco Uganda Limited, Uganda’s leading producer of edible oil and the only company that owns and operates palm oil plantation in East Africa, is seeking to double its output to 80,000 tons. BUL, jointly owned by Wilmar International, Josovina Commodities Pte Ltd. of Singapore and Bidco Africa Ltd. of Kenya, is already producing as much as 40,000 tons of palm oil from its Bugala island estate on Lake Victoria, reports Bloomberg. The company is establishing its second palm oil project on Buvuma Island and targets to have 1,000…

Solidaridad, government of Nigeria signs MoU to improve oil palm production

Mar 8, 2021Mar 8, 2021 Editor

NIGERIA – Solidaridad West Africa has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) of Nigeria to develop the oil palm value chain. With this, the two parties will collaborate based on mutual goals, interests, competency, expertise, and resources in the agricultural sector. The collaboration aims to improve the productivity of the agricultural sector especially oil palm production and ensure that it contributes significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. “The MoU is a welcome development as it will…

West Africa to earn US$1.5 billion from sale of cashew, spearheaded by new USDA, TechnoServe programs

Mar 1, 2021Mar 1, 2021 Editor

WEST AFRICA – TechchnoServe, an international non-profit organization has received two grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support the development of the cashew sector in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria. The support will enable the expansion of the BeninCajù project in Benin and launch of the new Prosper Cashew program in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria, which will help drive change across this important value chain, benefitting thousands of farmers and others employed in the sector. According to TechnoServe, the five-year Promoting Opportunities for Cashew Processing…