Rice

In the long and turbulent history of mankind one of the most important developments to civilization was the domestication of Rice in 7000 BC in Central China; prior to that for about 130 million years it grew wildly as a grass. Another variety of hybridized rice is said to have been cultivated in the Indian sub-continent in 2500BC and evidence also suggests the growing of a third variety in West Africa during 1500-800 BC.
Today, Rice grows on every continent of the world except Antartica. A staple food of Asia’s 3.3 billion rice eaters, it provides 35-85% of their daily calorie intake. Outside Asia, rice consumption continues to rise steadily with the fastest growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past two decades, per capita rice consumption has increased by more than 50% despite stabilization in self-supply in the region, production constraints and the continued growth in consumption per capita means that the region will remain largely dependent on the international market to cover the deficit in its rice balance.

TANMONDIAL decided to capitalize on the regional market need and establish itself in the import chain of this dynamically traded commodity. Under the brand name of TANRIZ, rice is imported into the Sub-Saharan regions then distributed through our marketing chain bound for local consumption. The demand for rice has been growing consistently in Sub-Saharan Africa over the past decade. A prime example of the scale of demand can be gauged through one of our most lucrative markets of Burkina Faso. Here the local milled production covers only 42% of the demand and the rest needs to be imported to meet the need of the population. Similarly, Nigeria is ranked the second net buyer of rice and Senegal is the world’s tenth biggest importer. Rice has therefore, been correctly identified as a strategic commodity for food security in West Africa. As has been observed the preference of rice will inevitably begin to grow amongst the rural population as it becomes wealthier. If this happens, consumption growth for rice will be even stronger in the future than what has been witnessed so far in the past two decades.

Spices

GINGER
Ginger is truly a world’s spice, unparalleled in it’s warming flavor and aroma. It is an essential ingredient in most Asian cuisines. Ginger like cinnamon, clove and pepper is the most important and oldest spice in the world. It is believed to have originated in East Asia and has historic records dating back to more than 3000years. The rising popularity of ginger made it a highly traded commodity first by the Arabian traders and then by the Dutch merchants in the historic spice routes between Asia and Europe. The term spice is used to refer to parts of plant that serve to improve the odor and flavor of foods. They contain essential oils and have a strong seasoning action.

TANMONDIAL sources dried ginger from West African countries of Nigeria, Mali and Ivory Coast. In West Africa the ginger is dried without peeling, has a very hot flavor and high oil content. If ginger has been washed and dried but not peeled, then commercially it is known as “black” or “green” ginger. The ginger is processed, cleaned, graded and carefully packed in our warehouses for overseas dispatch.

GUM ARABIC
Gum Arabic is certainly the most ancient and the most well known of all gum types. Egyptians called it “kami” and are known to have made use of it from around 2650 BC to secure bandages around mummies. It was also used to fix pigments in hieroglyphic paintings. The term “gum arabic” was coined by European merchants who imported it from the arab ports of Jeddah as well as Alexandria. A tree typical of the Sahel, it is found in the dry semi-arid regions of Sub-Saharan Africa extending from the northern parts of West Africa eastwards to Sudan and Ethiopia. Nowadays, 60-75% of the world’s production is used in the food industry as well as human and veterinary medicine.

TANMONDIAL manages an extensive procurement program in Burkina Faso, Mail and Niger region by sourcing directly from the small collectors. For many local farmers, the acacia crop is an important part of their livelihood in the arid regions of the Sahel landscape as the tree grows in the wild and is harvested once a year. With the network of our buying units and agents we are able to aggregate the supplies into sizable quantities. Our suppliers are given help throughout the supply chain from the co-ordination of various production sites through to sorting, cleaning, initial drying, storage and packing so as to cater to the surge in demand from our global clients.