The global company Nutreco opens its new fish feed facility in Nigeria

Aquaculture Magazine reports:

The global leader in animal nutrition and aquaculture Nutreco announced that has opened a state-of-the art fish and poultry feed production facility in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, through its Operating Company trading under the names Skretting and Trouw Nutrition. The new EUR 25 million facility was built on 170,000 square meters of land and has the capacity to manufacture 125,000 metric tons of extruded fish and animal feeds per year.

“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. Opening a facility of this magnitude will ensure that we can meet both local demand and that of neighboring West African countries, contributing to the growth of the aquaculture and agriculture sectors of Nigeria and Africa as a whole,” said Seyi Adeleke-Ige, General Manager of Skretting Nigeria.

The plant was officially opened last April 17 by Oyo State’s Executive Governor Seyi Makinde. At the unveiling of the new facility were also present Adeniyi Adebisi, Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, and Michel Deelen, Consul General of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Nigeria, as well as other dignitaries, stakeholders, customers and staff.

Skretting Nigeria

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

“Opening a facility of this magnitude will ensure the company can meet both local demand and that of neighboring West African countries, contributing to the growth of the aquaculture and agriculture sectors of Nigeria and Africa as a whole,” said for her part Seyi Adeleke-Ige, General Manager of Skretting Nigeria.

In the other hand, Pieter Bastiaanssen, Nutreco’s Managing Director, Middle East and Africa said: “We are thrilled to announce the opening of our new Nigeria factory, which represents a significant milestone for agriculture and aquaculture in Nigeria. 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.”

From 50 farmers to 1,350 today

The new plant further emphasizes 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 Nigeria Limited, launched by Nutreco in 2014, produces catfish superior feeds, broodstock feed and tilapia catering for the entire fish life cycle, as well as poultry feed under the Trouw Nutrition brand, including Hendrix Protein Concentrates and Hendrix Broiler Pellet Feeds.

Bastiaan van Tilburg, new CEO of Skretting from June 1^st

A few days before the launching in Nigeria, Skretting announced that Bastiaan van Tilburg will become the new CEO of Skretting on June 1^st in replace of Therese Log Bergjord. He joined Nutreco in January 2019, first at Nutreco’s Livestock feed business line, Trouw Nutrition, as General Manager for the Benelux, Scandinavia and France. He then started his current role as Managing Director for Trouw Nutrition Europe & Central Asia in November 2022.

Before joining Nutreco, Bastiaan worked in various commercial and operational leadership roles at SHV daughter company, Makro in Brazil. Prior to joining Makro, he worked at Royal Dutch Shell for four years.

“Building on Skretting’s strong team spirit and culture, our world class innovations and our great reputation, I am sure we will have a successful and fun time together”, said van Tilburg after the news was published. “In the months that follow, I will travel a lot to connect with and listen to our Skretting colleagues, get to know our customers, to hear all about our challenges and opportunities, and to thoroughly deep dive into the aqua industry. Thanks in advance for your support, patience and openness during this onboarding process,” he says.

“I very much look forward to becoming part of this great Skretting team! Building on Skretting’s strong team spirit and culture, our world class innovations and our great reputation, I am sure we will have a successful and fun time together.”