AFRICA'S NO.1 FOOD, BEVERAGE & MILLING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Ball to build new aluminium manufacturing facilities in UK, Russia as EcoBlue expands footprint in Thailand

Jul 16, 2021Jul 19, 2021 Editor

EURASIA – World’s leading provider of aluminum packaging for beverage, personal care, and household products Ball Corporation is expanding its manufacturing footprint in the Eurasia region with new plants in the UK and Russia. According to Ball, the new manufacturing facilities would produce billions of cans every year – across a range of formats and sizes – from 2023, and provide up to 200 skilled jobs. The news follows the announcement earlier this year of Ball’s plans for a new €170 million (US$235.50 million) aluminum can plant in the Czech Republic, which will help boost its output in…

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…

Cargill’s Thailand facilities to run on clean energy in new partnership with Cleantech Solar

Mar 7, 2021Mar 7, 2021 Editor

THAILAND – Agricultural commodities trader Cargill has partnered with Cleantech Solar to power its Thailand operations with clean energy. Under the partnership, Cleantech Solar completed rooftop solar PV systems at four Cargill sites across Thailand. Cleantech Solar funded, built, and will operate and maintain the systems under a long-term agreement with the US-based agricultural commodities conglomerate. The solar power plants have a combined capacity of 2.4 MW and are expected to generate over 3,000 MWh of clean electricity in a year, equivalent to reducing 1,750 tonnes of CO2. This represents…

Thailand’s SCG completes acquisition of UK based food service packaging solutions provider Go-Pak

Jan 14, 2021Jan 14, 2021 Editor

THAILAND – Thailand-based SCG Packaging has completed the acquisition of Go-Pak, a leading food service packaging solutions provider based in the United Kingdom. The Thai-based packaging company which is a subsidiary SCGP Solutions Singapore agreed to purchase a 100% stake of Go-Pak from its existing shareholders and has already initiated a first payment of £77.5 million (about US$93.34 million). Based on the agreement between SCG and the shareholders of Go-Pak, second and third payment will be based on Go-Pak’s incremental financial performance for the next two financial years. The pay-outs…

Food ingredients company IMCD inaugurates pilot plant for meat, seafood and plant-based analogues in Thailand

Nov 29, 2020Dec 1, 2020 Editor

THAILAND – Netherland-based distributor of speciality food ingredients and flavours IMCD has inaugurated a new pilot plant for meat, seafood and plant-based analogues in Thailand, to better support customers in the Asia Pacific region. Founded in 1995, IMCD has grown over time, expanding its foot print first in Europe then to the rest of the World. 25 years after it was first formed, IMCD boasts of a global footprint that spans over 50 countries in 6 continents and can confidently boast of being a global leader in formulation and distribution…

Thai rice prices are under downward pressure as supplies of MY2020/21 main-crop rice flood the market

Nov 15, 2020Nov 15, 2020 Editor

THAILAND – The United States Development Agency (USDA) has maintained its Post’s forecast for MY2020/21 rice production in Thailand at 18.6 million metric tons, up 5 percent from MY2019/20. USDA attributed this growth to favourable weather conditions for main-crop rice production in Thailand’s non irrigated areas which accounts for approximately 75 percent of total main-crop rice acreage. The agency notes that the increased main-crop rice production in non-irrigated areas will likely more than offset the reduced rice production in irrigated areas where reservoirs are critically low. A bumper harvest would…

Coffeehouse chain Starbucks to launch plant-based food and beverages to menus across Asia

Sep 9, 2020Sep 9, 2020 Editor

ASIA – Starbucks Corporation, a multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves, has announced that it will add plant-based food and beverages to menus across Asia from September, including products from Impossible Foods, Oatly and Beyond Meat Inc, as it targets more environment-conscious diners. The Seattle-based coffee chain said it was introducing products in markets such as Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Taiwan and Thailand that suit local tastes and preferences. Producing plant-based food and beverages is less demanding on the environment compared with items relying on animal agriculture, which…

Synergy Flavours completes new blending facility in Thailand to address growing demand

Jul 15, 2020Jul 15, 2020 Editor

THAILAND – Synergy Flavours, a manufacturer and supplier of flavourings, extracts and essences, has announced the completion of a new high-care blending facility, which has been added to its production site in Samut Prakarn, Thailand. Synergy says that the additional capacity will enable it to address growing demand for sports nutrition beverages, baby infant formula and sweet-flavoured functional mix drinks from Asian markets. “This is the latest in a series of investments in Asia as we continue to add capacity and expertise to our strategically important site near Bangkok,” explained Geoff Allen, Managing Director SE…

Sugar and bio-energy producer Mitr Phol selects Eka Software Solutions to streamline its operations

Jul 3, 2020Jul 3, 2020 Editor

THAILAND – Mitr Phol, Asia’s biggest sugar and bio-energy producer, has selected Eka Software Solutions to provide its cloud-native platform to manage risk across the company’s global hedging and pricing portfolios, digitizing its operations. The investment in new technology was part of Mitr Phol’s digital transformation to add more value to sugarcane in line with the Thai government’s ambitious targets for growth in the coming years. With six sugar mills located in Thailand and a total crushing capacity of around 20 million tons of cane per annum, Mitr Phol is…

Thailand announces measures to strengthen the agricultural sector and agro-industry

Jun 17, 2020Jun 17, 2020 Editor

THAILAND – The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) has unveiled new measures to strengthen the country’s agricultural sector and agro-industry by promoting investment in sector based on the BCG (Bioeconomy, Circular Economy, and Green Economy) model. The agency has agreed to adjust the investment promotion terms and benefits for the agricultural industry to encourage the development and adoption of technology and innovation in order to add value to the sector’s output and help improve its productivity. As part of the measures, the Board has added a new activity, Plant Factory, to…