🇨🇮Côte d'IvoireWest Africa
SUCAF CI inaugurates new generation distillery in Ferké 2, Côte d'Ivoire
via Abidjan.net8 min read
SUCAF CI, a subsidiary of the Somdia group, has inaugurated Côte d'Ivoire's first sugarcane distillery at its Ferké 2 production unit. The ceremony, held on Thursday, May 7, 2026, was attended by the Minister of Planning and Development, Dr. Souleymane Diarrassouba, and presided over by the Minister of Agriculture, Bruno Nabagné Koné, under the patronage of Vice Prime Minister Téné Brahima Ouattara. This industrial infrastructure, which cost 18 billion FCFA, is part of a circular economy strategy to valorize sugarcane co-products. The distillery will produce up to 12 million liters per year of food and technical alcohol from molasses, aiming to reduce the country's dependence on foreign alcohol markets by 50%. According to Anthony Ahiaba, General Manager of SUCAF-CI, this project is expected to create approximately 100 direct and 300 indirect jobs, contributing to youth employment. Olivier Parent, CEO of Somdia, stated that this new unit reflects the group's vision for an integrated, circular, resilient, and value-creating African agro-industry, marking a new step in the group's diversification in Africa. Gregory Clerc, General Manager of the Castel group, highlighted the project's entrepreneurial spirit and its role in better integrating the group's supplies in Côte d'Ivoire. SUCAF CI has operated in Côte d'Ivoire since 1997 and manages two sugar complexes in Ferkessédougou.
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