France & Ethiopia: Soufflet Group lays foundation of new malting plant in Ethiopia
Soufflet Group, a French company, laid a foundation at Bole-Lemi Industrial Park to build a malt house at a cost of €70 million, 2merkato – Ethiopian Business Portal reported on March 15.
Jean Michel Soufflet, Soufflet Group Company CEO, pointed out that the plant will rest on ten hectares of land, at a location situated strategically in the outskirts of Addis Ababa, conveniently close to barley growing area.
Mr. Soufflet indicated the local production of malt will help reduce the amount of import, which now stands at a stellar 70 percent of the market. He also said his company will go operational in 2020.
As the current supply of local barley production does not sufficiently meet the demand, Soufflet Malt Ethiopia will support 15,000 farmers to produce 30,000 tons of barley for malt production in 2019, the CEO said. They hope to see this figure rise to 80,000 tons of barley by 2020, working with 40,000 farmers then. The plant will create job opportunities for 300 workers.
Hanna Araya-Selassie, Deputy Commissioner of Industrial Parks Division at Ethiopian Investment Commission, expressed Ethiopian government’s commitment to support such high quality investments. She also commended Soufflet Group’s efforts to create a link between agriculture and industry by “providing necessary technology and know-how for small holder farmers.”
A family owned international food and agriculture company, Soufflet Group is a major player in the malt market in Europe, Asia and South America.
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