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ANGOLA – Angola’s food import bill jumped to US$2.8 billion in 2022 thanks to a significant jump in food prices in the international market, Statistics director of the National Bank of Angola (BNA) Joel Futi has revealed. According to Futi, food prices accounted for 40% of the rise in the food import bill while volumes only accounted for 13.6%. Rice,…
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SOUTH AFRICA – Norfund, the Norwegian investment fund for developing countries, is investing ZAR 80M (US$4.7M) in convertible debt in the expansion plans of Synercore Holdings, a South African food ingredient manufacturer. Established in 2016, Synercore has a specialty in the formulation and manufacture of food ingredients which it sells to fast-moving consumer goods companies, precisely in the dairy and…
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SOUTH AFRICA – South African packaged goods company Tiger Brands has appointed Pieter Craill as the Financial Director for cereals effective from 1 February 2023. Peter joins the company from confectionery products maker Aldor Africa where he held the position of head of finance and administration. He previously served as the Chief Finance Officer of Mister Sweet, a major confectionery…
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SOUTH AFRICA-Gavin Hudson has resigned as CEO of Southern Africa’s biggest sugar group Tongaat Hulett effective February 28 adding another blow to the company’s business rescue plan. His resignation follows the second postponement of the publication of the sugar company’s business rescue plan by a month according to the group’s business rescue practitioners (BRPs). Tongaat Hulett has been in existence…
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SOUTH AFRICA-The anti-dumping tariffs on French fries placed on three European countries by the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (Itac) have lapsed creating room for cheaper imports. This means relief to potato consumers according to frozen food importer Hume International. In July last year, concerns were raised about higher prices and even shortages after the International Trade Administration…
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SOUTH AFRICA- Nambu Group, a speciality in converting food waste into high-value protein feed has secured funding from South African Impact investor E Squared Investments to upgrade and expand its facilities. Founded by Allan Gray Fellow Founder and CEO, Lowell Scarr, Nambu Group upcycles food waste by feeding them to insects which are then converted into high-value protein feed for…
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AFRICA-Fall army warms (Spodoptera frugiperda) continue to endanger the majority of Africa’s maize crops according to new research published in Frontiers in Insect Science journal. This study was conducted by scientists from the University of Minnesota’s GEMS Informatics Center, and CABI’s Dr. Roger Day, Global Advisor, Plant Health. Outbreaks of fall armyworms in Africa were first observed in southwest Nigerian…
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NIGERIA – Global maize prices will decrease by 8% while prices for wheat, which were anticipated to rise by 36% in 2022, will slightly fall in 2023, according to the Annual Commodity Outlook by AFEX. The report further indicated that the fertiliser index which rose by 66% in 2022, is projected to decline by 12% in 2023 as supply disruptions…
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KENYA – The government has issued licenses to private traders to facilitate the importation of 10 million bags (about 900 metric tonnes) of duty-free maize into to the country. Philip Harsame, the Agriculture Principal Secretary said that already licenses have been issued to 20 traders to import white maize and 50 to import yellow maize to reduce the retail price…
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KENYA-The UK government has launched the construction of a KS2.3 billion (US$18.5M) production facility for Irish and sweet potato processing in Kenya. The processing facility located in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County, will process fresh and frozen Irish and sweet potatoes and is expected to have a capacity of 60,000 tonnes. Once completed, the factory will be the first in the…
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