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Month: May 2023

Desert wells in Iraq translate to bumper wheat crop harvest as rivers dry, but experts cast doubts on its sustainability 

IRAQ- Prolonged drought has caused rivers in Iraq to dry up, forcing Iraqi farmers to rely on groundwater for farming, which has translated to a bumper harvest and increased cultivation in the country.  Iraq’s government says this officially-supported shift to wells has allowed the country to double areas cultivated with wheat this year to about 850,000 hectares compared to roughly…

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PepsiCo South Africa’s subsidiary Pioneer Foods takes full ownership of Futurelife Health

SOUTH AFRICA – Pioneer Foods, a subsidiary of PepsiCo South Africa has acquired the remaining half of Futurelife Health, eight years after buying its initial stake in the maker of nutrient-dense breakfast cereals and snacks. BizCommunity reports that the transaction, which is subject to some administrative condition’s precedent, is expected to close and be effective in the first week of…

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Alapala’s Depart partners with HBTS to expand vertical packaging solutions in Africa and Asia

TURKEY – Depart, Alapala Holding’s group company for milling spare part sales and after-sales services has partnered with Italian HBTS Packaging to expand its solutions to include vertical packaging. Under the agreement, Depart will manage the sales and marketing of HBTS’s vertical packaging machines in all of Africa, the Far East, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The horizontal/flow-back packaging…

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Egyptian snacks giant Edita Food enters the frozen bakery segment by acquiring Fancy Foods for US$12M

EGYPT – Edita Food Industries (EFI), a leading Egyptian snack food producer, has entered the frozen bakery segment by the acquisition of Fancy Foods S.A.E., a local manufacturer specializing in the production of frozen foods for US$12 million. Ecofin Agency reports that the company made the announcement through a press release published on May 30, on the company’s website. According…

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Kemin launches BITEPod -a center of excellence for food innovation in Singapore

SINGAPORE- Privately-held global ingredient manufacturer Kemin Industries recently opened an innovation center, BITEPod, for its food technologies business at The Rutherford in Singapore Science Park.  The new application-and-experience center is designed to promote advancement in food formulation for Kemin Industries. The center of excellence features advanced kitchen facilities and a research-and-development (R&D) laboratory, focusing on developing prototypes and improving formulations…

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Evonik launches Biolys®, a  L-lysine- dense product for animal feeds

GERMANY – Evonik, one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals, unveiled that it will launch its new generation Biolys®, which provides a higher concentration of L-lysine, for animal feeds on June 1, 2023, Feed and Additives has reported. With a presence in more than 100 countries globally, Evonik said that the move is envisioned in keeping with the tradition…

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Hope for Kenya as maize farmers anticipate bountiful harvests on the back of subsidized inputs

KENYA – Farmers in Uasin Gishu County, the grain basket of the country, have expressed high expectations that they were set to have a bumper in maize crop, thanks to the reduced cost of production after the government rolled out the Fertilizer Subsidy Programme. The good news gives hope to consumers who are currently struggling to afford a packet of…

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Nestle appoints Anna Manz as new Chief Financial Officer, François-Xavier Roger steps down

USA – Nestlé, Swiss multinational food, and drink conglomerate corporation, has appointed Anna Manz as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) after François-Xavier Roger stepped down from the position. In the company’s press release, François-Xavier Roger, Executive Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer, who has served in the company for 8 years decided to step down and pursue a…

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Malawi opts for NFRA over ADMARC in maize purchase deal, disburse US$15.6M

MALAWI – The government of Malawi has given K6 billion (US$15.6M) to National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), choosing the agency in buying maize for the 2023/24 Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR) replenishment instead of ADMARC. According to All Africa, the decision by the government shows that NFRA has been mandated to purchase the strategic grain as opposed to using Agricultural Development…

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Canadian pension funds endorse US$25bln Viterra-Bunge merger as Viterra supports hunger project in Canada 

CANADA- Two pension funds, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and British Columbia Investment Management Corp, have declared their support of the potential Viterra-Bunge merger, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg reported. The possible merger would create a US$25 billion behemoth that will be one of the largest global commodity traders.  According to the anonymous source, these…

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