Last week, for instance, Nigeria's central bank allowed the naira currency to drop as much as 36% on the official market.
Nestle, which is replacing imported corn starch in Nigeria with cassava starch, told Reuters it has helped seven local suppliers to boost capacity to meet the company's supply needs.
ONION POWDER AND TURMERICNestle said it was working to develop local suppliers of vegetables and spices used in Maggi products, for instance onion powder in Nigeria and Senegal, and turmeric powder in Nigeria.
Nestle did not comment on whether its position in Nigeria would help insulate it from foreign exchange volatility, neither did it give an indication of the economic impact of the local sourcing.
($1 = 0.8967 Swiss francs)Reporting by Richa Naidu; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Arnd, Kat, Nestle, Richa Naidu, Emelia Sithole
Organizations:
Swiss, Nestle, REUTERS, LONDON, Reuters, Unilever, Thomson
Locations:
Bern, Konolfingen, Switzerland, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Swiss, Asia, East, Africa