Changing the future in 1,000 days
March 7, 2019
The first 1,000 days between conception and a child’s 2nd birthday are critical for shaping each child’s development. This is the period when the foundations of good health,…
Author: Michael Martin
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Help! I Need Soybeans!
March 1, 2018
The world will grow another 350 million tonnes of soybeans again this year. Soybeans are the largest source of vegetable protein on the planet, but supply can still…
How Will You Innovate to Feed the World? – Investing in Nutrition Part II
December 21, 2017
Improving nutrition of children and women will help your economy grow. This means you need to invest in systems infrastructure, health services, nutrition education that reaches everyone, including…
How will you innovate to feed the world? – Investing in Nutrition Part I
December 14, 2017
Coincidentally, I spent World Children’s Day (November 20th) reading the Global Nutrition Report. The report discusses the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 2.2 which aims to end all…
Machine Hours and Man Hours
August 10, 2017
Equipment efficiency is measured in operating hours, energy consumption, output, processing losses, and so on. Man, too, likes to measure his work time in hours. Managing employee hours…
Trials and tribulations of African food processors
April 27, 2017
Much of the food that we eat has been processed by small & medium enterprises, often family-owned. It is no different in Africa. The food giants are present,…
Purchasing Equipment? Some Questions to Ask Your Supplier..
December 22, 2016
In today’s global marketplace, agribusiness companies are faced with a multitude of suppliers and a range of technologies. Extruders are no different. Offered by manufacturers from all seven…
Investors Looking for Growth Markets Should Stay & Invest in Africa, Not Go Home
December 1, 2016
Recent times have been tough in Africa. The financial markets went gloomy months ago. Africa’s economic growth will fall to 1.4% this year, says the IMF. Growth was…
Alternatives to the bank loan – The new equipment financing landscape in Africa
June 23, 2016
“If I was running a real estate fund, I would have investors lined up out the door. But when you talk about financial services for agribusiness value chains,…
To Refine Or Not To Refine…
March 10, 2016
Photo: Fully-refined ExPress® soybean oil bottled and ready for shipment to supermarkets in Ethiopia. Insta-Pro customer Kunifira Agro Processing chose to install a 3 ton per day refinery…
The Big Business of Dairy in Europe
December 3, 2015
Britain’s largest dairy companies, Muller and Arla, are reducing the price they pay farmers for raw milk. Over-production, Russia’s embargo on imports of European food, lower Chinese dairy…
What Goes into a Business Plan?
June 4, 2015
Business plans are required by most financial institutions and lenders to evaluate the value of their investment into your business. When considering a customer for leasing, Insta-Pro will…
Switching on the Lights in Africa
January 22, 2015
Fly across Africa at night and you will notice one thing, the continent is mostly dark. There’s plenty of light at the top (Cairo) and at the bottom…
Investing in “The Most Important Issue Under the Sky”
July 10, 2014
Mr. Ding Xuedong, chairman of China Investment Corporation (CIC), has made an important announcement. He says China’s $650bn sovereign wealth fund is shifting its focus to invest more…
Extrusion Bolsters Food Security in Africa
May 27, 2014
If you are in the extrusion business in Africa – or anywhere else for that matter – this paper published in the April edition of Food Technology (www.ift.org)…
Small-Scale Fish Feed Extrusion
March 11, 2014
A Mozambique tilapia farm is for sale: www.undercurrentnews.com/2014/02/11/mozambique-tilapia-farm-looks-for-new-owners/ The owners, Emvest, want to sell Deep Water Produce and its cage farming site on Lake Cahora Bassa in Tete province,…
Money is All You Need…?
December 24, 2013
Finding the money to fund equipment and raw materials purchases is the biggest obstacle in the path of African agribusiness enterprises. Yes, you have heard me say this…
Consortium of U.S. Universities Boosts Support for Soybean Growers in Africa
November 26, 2013
The University of Illinois has received a $25m federal grant to lead a consortium of universities and non-governmental organizations to improve soybean value chains in Ghana, Mozambique, Zambia,…