April 30, 2024

Nutreco opens new fish and poultry feed facility in Nigeria

Nutreco has opened a state-of-the art fish and poultry feed production facility in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, Skretting announced on April 22.

The  €25 million (US$27 million) facility was opened through Nutreco's operating company, Skretting Nigeria Limited. It was built on 170,000 square metres of land and has the capacity to produce 125,000 metric tons of extruded fish and animal feeds per year.

The plant was officially opened on April 17 by Oyo State's Executive Governor, Seyi Makinde.

Since its inception, Skretting Nigeria Limited has actively contributed to Nigeria's economy by producing feed locally, using locally sourced raw materials, Skretting said. The new facility is poised to further boost the Nigerian agriculture sector and national GDP. It employs 135 staff directly and 150 through a third-party agency.

"We are very pleased about the growth of our business in Nigeria, a country with over 218 million people and a rising demand for protein," said Seyi Adeleke-Ige, general manager of Skretting Nigeria. "Opening a facility of this magnitude will ensure that we can meet both local demand and that of neighbouring West African countries, contributing to the growth of the aquaculture and agriculture sectors of Nigeria and Africa as a whole."

"We are thrilled to announce the opening of our new Nigeria factory, which represents a significant milestone for agriculture and aquaculture in Nigeria," said Pieter Bastiaanssen, Nutreco's managing director (Middle East and Africa). "As part of Nutreco, our new plant is committed to producing high-quality, affordable feeds and concentrates, specifically tailored to meet the diverse needs of the Nigerian market. From extruded fish feed to poultry feed, we are fully equipped not only with advanced products but also with experts on the ground, ready to help farmers enhance production efficiency. This investment underscores our dedication to our purpose of "Feeding the Future," helping us improve food production efficiency and make superior nutrition accessible to everyone in the region."

The new plant further emphasises Nutreco's commitment to Nigeria's aquaculture and agriculture sectors, which has already been demonstrated through the Catfish Sustainability and Hendrix4U community development projects.

The Catfish Sustainability Project, which has supported fish farmers since 2015, has grown from 50 farmers at its inception to 1,350 farmers today.

- Skretting