Investments, Acquisitions and Funding

Kenya’s heavy dependence on imported rice is creating a major opportunity for domestic farmers and processors, with a new market-led private-sector initiative seeking to expand production, strengthen post-harvest handling and increase local milling capacity.

The initiative focuses on rehabilitating traditional oil palm plantations, establishing modern refining capacity, and enhancing local value addition to meet surging national and regional demand for edible oils.

For the fertilizer and agricultural sector, the acquisition could create opportunities to combine Omnia’s established crop-nutrition portfolio and African market presence with Solar Industries’ international expansion strategy.

The project is expected to help Senegal reduce dependence on imported refined oils, improve oil extraction rates through shorter post harvest intervals, and create a more competitive value chain for smallholder growers.

The strategic push supports the consumer goods company’s overarching ambition to transform McVitie’s into a £1 billion global brand by diversifying its portfolio beyond traditional biscuits in high-growth international markets.