Credit: Adobe Stock AMERSFOORT, NETHERLANDS —Nutreco, a Netherlands-based animal nutrition company, announced on Feb. 1 that it has received regulatory approval for its partnership with Unga Group PLC, to form two joint ventures that will help meet the growing demand for high-quality protein in the East Africa region.
The partnership involves open-ended, Nutreco-managed joint ventures with two indirect subsidies of Unga Group — Unga Farm Care (EA) Ltd. in Kenya, and Unga Millers (U) Ltd. in Uganda.
Both ventures are named Tunga Nutrition, taking inspiration from the Swahili word Tunga, meaning “to compose.”
“We are proud to be partnering with Unga Group and working together to share our knowledge of the animal nutrition and aquaculture markets,” said Pieter Bastiaanssen, managing director of Nutreco’s Middle East & Africa operations. “Unga Group possesses great expertise in the East African region, and we are delighted to join forces as we look to meet the growing demand for high-quality protein there.”
Tunga Nutrition Kenya will increase production capacity at its jointly owned fish feed plant in Nairobi to commercialize these products under Skretting and Fugo brands.
Tunga Nutrition Uganda will make use of Unga Millers’ dormant flour mill in Kampala, converting it into a state-of-the-art feed mill producing animal feeds and concentrates. Its products will be sold under both Trouw Nutrition’s Hendrix and Unga’s Fugo Brands.
Nutreco said the announcement furthers its commitment to its purpose of Feeding the Future and will strengthen the footprint of its business lines, Trouw Nutrition and Skretting, in East Africa, a core focus region as it continues to expand globally.
Tunga Nutrition will have new senior management teams in Kenya and Uganda, bringing together the expertise of both Nutreco and Unga. Nutreco noted that the partnership will bring significant investment to the Eastern African region and support both Kenya and Uganda in meeting rising demand for high-quality protein.
The population in East Africa is expected to double from 170 million to 340 million by 2050, and the Tunga ventures will help meet the corresponding increased demand for aquaculture and agriculture produce to feed the growing population, Nutreco said.