German agriculture boss endorses foreign investment in African farming

Carl Heinrich Bruhn’s perception of Africa used to be mostly negative. However, his opinions made a dramatic about-turn since he first came to the continent to look for investment.

Bruhn is a German farmer who has spent his career working in Europe’s agricultural and food industry. A few years ago he decided to start his own agricultural company, and in 2011 Amatheon Agri was launched. The company has managed to attract various high profile businesspeople, such as former Unilever Africa head Frank Braeken, who joined the company as chief investment officer.

Amatheon calls itself a “European agribusiness and farming company developing and operating sustainable projects in sub-Saharan Africa”. However, it was not Bruhn’s original intention to do business in Africa.

After initially focusing on opportunities in Kazakhstan and Russia, the company was offered a project in southern Africa, which opened his eyes to the potential on the continent.

“I went to sub-Saharan Africa and said: ‘Wow, why have I never seen this opportunity?’ In regards to business operations in Africa, people always talk about the risks and enormous difficulties, which led to me adapting this view as well. Today I have a very different and more sophisticated view, because it is not about the risks and difficulties, which without doubt exist, but it’s about whether you know how to manage them.”  

The company’s first investment was in Zambia where it acquired more than 30,000ha of land 200km west of the capital Lusaka. Amatheon cultivates soya, maize and wheat in the region and is steadily growing its cattle herd.  READ MORE. 

Source: www.howitismadeinafrica.com. #IFAMAFRICA