MOROCCO – Kenzpat company, a subsidiary of the agri-food group Vita Holding Morocco, has commissioned a US$19 million pasta and couscous production facility in Skhirat, a seaside town in Morocco.
According to a statement issued jointly by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the company positions itself on the local wheat value-chain market as well as seizing export opportunities.
The statement noted that, the project was the subject of an investment agreement signed between the State and the company KENZPAT, as part of the program contract for the development of agri-food industries 2017-2021.
According to the company metrics, the new unit has a production capacity of 15,000 tons of couscous and 23,000 tons of pasta per year and will generate 130 direct job opportunities.
The investment is desirable as wheat is the most consumed cereal in the country and it represents the basis of the diet in most households.
Additionally, sixty percent of the Moroccan population lives in cities and there has been an increasing trend of the Western Life Style leading to more and more Moroccan consuming rice, pasta, and noodle.
The new consumption habits of Moroccans and the efforts of the state to ensure the supply of these products with subsidized prices within the reach of the population have led to increased intakes of these food items.
According to Fédération Nationale de la Minoterie (FNM), Morocco’s milling industry association, the average consumption of wheat-based food items in Morocco is at 200 kilograms, or three times the global average.
As demand for derivatives continues to grow, the executive is increasingly encouraging investment in the local industry.
“This project will enable the Kenzpat company to position itself on the local pasta and couscous market and to seize the opportunities offered for export, and for the Vita Holding Group, of which the company is a part, to diversify its products and complete the supply chain. of grain processing value,” the statement read.
Beyond this launch, the group also plans to invest 250 million dirhams (US$24 million) in Kenz Maroc, its subsidiary specializing in flour milling and semolina.
The Kenz Macro budget will mainly be used to finance a project to extend its semolina production capacity, which is expected to generate 80 new jobs.
Vita Holding, a family business owned by the Eulj family group has two other subsidiaries, including “VITA GRAIN” operating in the trading and storage of cereals, and “VITA DIS” active in the distribution segment.
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