Firm receives grant to provide feed solutions for African small-scale producers

Nutreco, part of the SHV group of companies, and a global animal nutrition leader based in the Netherlands has received a US$4.8 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The grant is to accelerate the implementation of localized, sustainable complete feed production in sub-Saharan Africa, driving forward Nutreco’s purpose of Feeding the Future.

Compound feed production across the continent is some of the lowest in the world, and some of the most expensive due to inefficiencies and infrastructure challenges. As a result, small-scale livestock producers face declining incomes and uncertain futures, unless they gain access to quality animal feed.

The US$4.8 million grant will directly fund 21 Hendrix4U complete feed production projects initially in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Uganda. Hendrix4U provides a ‘factory-in-a-box’ for rural areas ensuring access to quality compound feed production for small-scale producers, in a financially sustainable way.

Since 2018, the business has tried and tested the implementation of 16 Hendrix4U projects, demonstrating its critical impact for producers.

The 37 Hendrix4U projects in total, which all include a full-service package for small-scale feed production, will not only improve local feed value chains, but also critically improve the profitability of over 15.000 poultry and dairy producers.

Nutreco CEO Fulco van Lede said, “More than half of the projected global population growth in the coming decades will take place in Africa, and many will face food insecurity and hunger if no innovative solutions are developed to increase the sustainable production of food in the region.

“Today’s grant funding serves as validation of the work we are doing in Africa to equip producers with the right tools to future proof their livelihoods – and as a result, ensure high-quality food and produce is accessible for communities throughout the continent.”

In addition to the facilities themselves, feed-producing distributors will have access to training and education in the fields of local raw material quality control, concentrate portfolio, nutritional advice, production and operations, market development, and business management support.

Nutreco said it partners and supports organisations around the planet to ensure it can play its role in ‘Feeding the Future’ with a presence in over 40 countries and team its team in 15 countries.