Foreign and local curry seasoning producers are locked in an intense supremacy battle for market share.
The local brands jostling against foreign brands include; Tiger curry and Euroma curry produced by Tiger Foods Limited; Gino curry produced by Africa GB Foods Manufacturing Nigeria Limited; Terra curry powder, manufactured by TGI Nigeria and Ama Wonder curry produced by KIB Food Processing Company.
The foreign curry brands competing for market share against local brands include Ducros produced by McCormick, France; Organic curry powder, Lion Curry powder, and Rajah mild madras curry.
The battle for supremacy is reflected in products segmentation, competitive pricing and attractive packaging by producers as a bait aimed at expanding their market reach and growth.
Another step taken by the producers to grow the market are, offering of products in different sachet pack sizes and plastic containers, thereby widening consumer choices across different prices.
Vanguard Companies Markets, C&M findings revealed that investment in infrastructure by the multinationals with the local presence in Nigeria, increasing population, knack for tasty food have been identified to strengthen the growth of the industry across a number of consumer goods, particularly the food spicing sub-sector.
The multinationals are considering Nigeria as one of their key markets primarily due to the huge population and market size, which they see as attractive and ready-made for their products.
On the other hand, the distribution system employed by the manufacturers is not different from the direct supply approach employed by other product owners to reach their target audience.
Consumers’ response
C&M’s survey of consumers in various markets in Lagos, Ogun, Imo and Enugu States showed that majority of the consumers preferred Gino, Ducros, and Euroma. A consumer, Adeyemi Awosika, said she prefers Ducros saying, “It gives me the kind of aroma I want and my family likes it too.” Mrs. Ikechukwu Ifeoma, a trader at Iyana-Oba market, Lagos, “Gino curry powder has the highest sales in the market. People go for this product because of its quality. Ducros is also doing well” According to Rosemary Bossa, a caterer at Stephanie’s pot, Isolo Lagos, “Tiger products are of good quality. “The challenge with the product is that it changes colour when the food is cold, this change also occurs when you used it to boil meat or fish. It changes to dark green. I do not know if that is the way it is produced to give that colour when used to boil your beef or cook”
Distributor speaks
Managing Director of Dumeris Enterprises, Mazi Nwadinkwa Orji, a distributor of various types of products said: “The major factors that promote the growth of the seasonings market in Nigeria is the rising demand for Western cuisines coupled with fluctuating consumer food habits. Increasing consumer awareness regarding the medicinal properties of some of these seasonings such as cloves, turmeric, and others has resulted in the expansion of the seasonings market.
Another factor that may also delay the growth of the market is stringent government policies that restrict the imported spices. However, there is a rising demand for organic seasonings and spices which hold the huge growth opportunity in the coming years.”
Culled from Vanguard Nigeria
