Maxim Agri Holding, Victory Farms Ltd, and Gatsby Africa partnered for a joint venture, Samakgro, an aquafeed mill that will produce high-quality and affordable aquafeeds to meet the demand from East Africa's growing aquaculture industry.
The feed mill will be managed by Maxim Agri. The Netherland-based holding is focused on providing animal feed and customized nutrition solutions to help maximize the performance of small land commercial farmers. The company has built extensive experience in emerging markets through its operations in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with its Kenya operations launched in November 2017.
Construction of the environmentally friendly high-tech feed mill facility is already ongoing in Naivasha, Kenya where a significant number of jobs will be created, and more livelihoods positively affected once production is expected to begin in 2023.
The products will be specifically formulated to meet the rigorous nutritional requirements in the aquaculture industry, with the right nutrition profile to support fish growth and health. The feed mill will also invest in local ingredient trials and development, testing for the right mix of nutritional elements from Kenya-produced ingredients.
This partnership acknowledges and embraces the environment as a resource to be used responsibly and sustainably. The main production facility will operate solely on sustainable sources of energy, supported by solar energy in the daytime and geothermal energy at night.
Obaid ur Rehman, general manager of SamakGro Limited Kenya, said, “we are excited about the strategic advantages and opportunities for the aquaculture industry that this joint venture will create through localizing feed production, and making available a product of verifiable, consistent quality that aquaculture practitioners and entrepreneurs can rely on.”
Caesar Asiyo, Victory Farms’ chief development officer, is confident that once it is operating at full capacity, the SamakGro feed mill will play an instrumental role in alleviating the perennial shortage of affordable quality aquafeeds in the country and become a major contributor to level the field for the growth of a robust and competitive aquaculture industry.
The joint venture will contribute directly to the manufacturing pillar of President Uhuru Kenyatta's Big Four Agenda and will play a critical role in economic development through the creation of employment opportunities.
