Angola: French group Castel invests US$50 mln in grain production in Angola to reduce dependence on imports

French group Castel, the owner of Nocal brand and beer factory, has invested US$50 million in grain production on a 3000-hectare plot in Angola’s Malanje province to reduce dependence on imported raw materials, Macauhub reported on October 6 citing the managing director of Nova Empresa de Cerveja de Angola (Nocal).

Gilles Leclerc told Angolan news agency Angop that grain planting had started at the beginning of the year on about 80% of the 3,000 hectares and recalled that imports of raw materials is a difficulty throughout the country’s beverage industry.

In the case of Nocal, the factory, with monthly production of about 10 million litres of beer, depends on imports of malt and hops, as well as the parts needed to maintain the production and filling lines.

The managing director said that it is possible to obtain almost all the raw materials for the beer trade in Angola, as the group locally produces glass, cans, labels, cases and bottle tops and purchases rice and sugar. Grains is the product that needs to be imported.

Leclerc also said that, despite the difficulties, he plans to increase production by the beginning of the first quarter of 2018, from 10 million to 11 million litres.

Nocal’s shareholders are Brasseries Internationales Holding Limited (BIH) and the União de Cervejas e Bebidas de Angola (Ucerba), controlled by the Gema group, both with a stake of 50%.

06 October, 2017