Cargill acquires Colombian poultry business; releases investment roadmap for Ghana
Cargill has acquired Colombian-based Campollo, one of the country’s leading producers of chicken and protein products. In other news, Cargill’s cocoa and chocolate business commemorates its 10th anniversary in Ghana by announcing plans for future investment and farmer support.
Cargill has acquired Colombian-based Campollo, one of the country’s leading producers of chicken and protein products. The acquisition marks the expansion of Cargill’s global protein business in Colombia after acquiring Pollos Bucanero in June 2017. Campollo will expand Cargill’s protein business in Latin America, which includes businesses in Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Jorge Ivan Duque, general manager of Cargill’s Pollos Bucanero, will continue leading Cargill’s expanded poultry business in Colombia.
“We are committed to this region and I’m thrilled to expand our operations in Colombia,” said Xavier Vargas, president of Cargill Protein Latin America. “Our markets and communities will benefit as we bring our teams together. Cargill will bring its experience working in protein across four continents for more than 50 years to deliver customers and consumers consistent, high-quality products tailored to local flavors.”
Campollo’s more than 2,500 employees will join Cargill, bringing the total number of Cargill employees in Colombia to more than 7,500.
In other news, Cargill’s cocoa and chocolate business commemorates its 10th anniversary in Ghana by announcing plans for future investment and farmer support. Cargill’s 2022 roadmap for Ghana includes:
- 80,000 farmers receiving capacity building support and facilitated access to inputs through our Farmer Field Schools
- The provision of one million new cocoa seedlings for rehabilitation of old farms and 200,000 shade tree seedlings to protect cocoa trees and improve biodiversity
- Access to crop protection for 30,000 farmers
- Completion of 100% mapping of farms; using geolocation and perimeter of the farms to allow deforestation monitoring and farm development
- 9,000 ha of cocoa developed into a cocoa agroforestry system within the Cocoa & Forest Initiative.
“Our 2022 roadmap is fully aligned with our global sustainability goals and consolidates our continuing support for a sustainable cocoa business here in Ghana,” said Pieter Reichert, Ghana managing director. “Completion of our mapping program will ensure farm sizes are accurately recorded to support farmers in decision making and investment. At the same time 80,000 farmers will be trained in good agricultural, environmental, and social practices to support certification.”