Food Business Africa

Nestlé Smarties launches 100% recyclable packaging, collaborates with South African artist to curate art pieces

Apr 17, 2021Apr 17, 2021 Editor

SOUTH AFRICA – Nestlé through its South African popular confectionery brand, Nestlé Smarties, has switched to 100% recyclable paper packaging. To celebrate this milestone, the brand has collaborated with contemporary recycling artist, Mbongeni Buthelezi, to design a digital guide for caregivers and children to follow in creating fun origami pieces using the brand’s recyclable paper. According to the food manufacturing giant, the collaboration is intended to drive the brand’s #SmartiesCreateWithPurpose narrative which is set to inspire conscious creativity by using recyclable goods. “Essentially, the purpose of the collaboration is for…

Central Bank of Nigeria to place sugar, wheat on foreign currency restriction list

Apr 17, 2021Apr 17, 2021 Editor

NIGERIA – The Central Bank of Nigeria has announced plans to halt foreign currency for sugar and wheat imports, as the country tries to conserve national foreign reserves. According to reports by Naira Metrics, the plan was disclosed by the apex bank via its verified Twitter handle, in a statement credited to the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele. The tweet stated, “Sugar and Wheat to go into our FX restriction list. We must work together to produce these items in Nigeria rather than import them. #Emefiele.” In 2015, the bank listed…

South Africa’s deciduous fruit sector taps lucrative export market following bumper harvest

Apr 17, 2021Apr 17, 2021 Editor

SOUTH AFRICA – The South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) has announced it has reached a total intake for the 2020/2021 season of 73 million cartons, a rise from the previous year’s 66.15 million cartons. Three of the five table grape production regions are in the Western Cape with the province’s Department of Agriculture’s Senior Economist Andrew Partridge highlighting that several factors supported the increase. “This has been the result of good weather conditions in most regions of the Western Cape during the packing season and is attributable to substantial…

Kroger introduces ‘Customer Fulfilment Centre accelerate eCommerce capability

Apr 16, 2021Apr 16, 2021 Editor

US – American grocery retailer, Kroger has launched what it claims to be America’s first Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC) in an effort to accelerate its eCommerce capability. According to a report by FoodBev, the CFC was developed using technology developed by UK-based delivery service Ocado. The launch is the result of Kroger and Ocado’s exclusive partnership formed in 2018 which gave the US retailer access to Ocado’s Smart Platform technology to enhance its fulfilment, picking and delivery capacity. Apart from enhancing its ecommerce capabilities, Kroger says that its CFC would…

EIB approves US$35.7m loan for clean water supply in Malawi

Apr 16, 2021Apr 16, 2021 Editor

MALAWI – The European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved $35.7 million loan to extend the drinking water network in southern Malawi. The project is to be implemented by the state-owned Southern Region Water Board (SRWB). The soft loan is to be repaid over 20 years with a grace period of 5 years. The EIB funding is for the extension of the drinking water network in the southern region of Malawi, particularly in Balaka and Liwonde. According to the SRWB, part of the funding will be used for the development of…

CCEP takeover of Coca-Cola Amatil inches closer to completion following shareholder approval

Apr 16, 2021Apr 16, 2021 Editor

AUSTRALIA – Coca-Cola Amatil, one of the world’s five major Coca-Cola bottlers, has announced that its independent shareholders voted in favour of Coca-Cola European Partners acquiring the Australian firm for A$9.93 billion ($7.68 billion). Approval of the takeover is a major step forward in the takeover deal that was first announced in 2020 with an initial offer deal of US$6. 18 billion tabled by CCEP for a 69.2% stake in Australian counterpart. CCEP later sweetened its takeover offer in February to US$7.68 billion or A$13.5 per share from A$12.75 after…

Ghana, cocoa & chocolate companies collaborate to protect, restore forests

Apr 16, 2021Apr 16, 2021 Editor

GHANA – Ghana has forged a new partnership with major cocoa and chocolate companies to accelerate collaboration to protect and restore forests in cocoa-growing areas. The Memorandum of Understanding, signed by World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) and the Forestry Commission of Ghana (GFC), commits the parties to working together in six regions where the government of Ghana has made action to protect and restore forests a priority. Work in these Hotspot Intervention Areas has already started, with active engagements in the Asunafo-Asutifi, Bia-Juaboso, Kakum and Sefwi-Bibiani landscapes. WCF will be responsible…

Thailand’s soybean imports jump as French farmers reduce acreage for summer crops

Apr 16, 2021Apr 16, 2021 Editor

GLOBAL – In Thailand, the economy is rebounding from COVID-19, stimulating a spike in feed demand and a need for soybean imports, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to the report, Thailand’s soybean imports in the 2021-22 marketing year are expected to jump 5% to 4.1 million tonnes compared to the previous marketing year based on increased demand from the food and feed industries. Soybean meal imports are recovering and are projected to rise to 2.8 million tonnes for…

Paraguay, Indonesia to record uptick in grain production in latest USDA projections

Apr 16, 2021Apr 16, 2021 Editor

GLOBAL – Cereal production in Paraguay and Indonesia is expected to rise in the 2021-2022 market due to higher acreage and yield, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). In Paraguay, the USDA projects that a reduction in soybean and zafrinha corn production will free up more idle acres for wheat sowing resulting in an estimated 1.2 million tonnes being produced. The US agency further projects wheat exports for the 2021-2022 market year to increase to 500,000 tonnes, the highest in…

German GIZ inks partnership agreements in Ghana, Malawi aimed to promote agribusiness

Apr 16, 2021Apr 16, 2021 Editor

GHANA – The government of Ghana has signed a 20-million Euro (US$23.9m) grant-agreement with the government of Germany through GIZ, to provide technical cooperation in the areas of Agribusiness and Renewable Energy. According to reports by Ghana Web, the Agribusiness programme will support Ghana’s efforts to boost the dynamic agro-processing sector with a high potential for growth. The programme aims at offering micro-, small and medium enterprises opportunities to expand their businesses and create jobs, especially for the youth, and thus mitigating the negative economic impact of the Covid-19 crises.…