The return of Coca-Cola
Absent from the Malagasy market since July 2022, the Coca-Cola brand reappeared on the shelves last June. It is now distributed by Habibo Group, at the head of stores under the U brand (formerly Shoprite) in the country. The Castel group, owner of Star company, who was the historic partner of the Coca-Cola brands, Fanta, Sprite and other soft drinks, has in fact decided to favor the production of local drinks, in the Big Island as in many African countries where it is established. Coca-Cola bottles distributed by Habibo Group currently come from Mauritius.
Port classification : Tamatave progresses slightly
Tamatave appears in 227th place out of 348 in the world ranking of ports receiving containers, according to a performance index calculated by the World Bank and analyst S&P Global Market Intelligence. The main Malagasy commercial port has increased by around fifty places in one year : he was 279th in the previous ranking. Currently, a significant part of containerized traffic affects Tamatave after transshipment in Mauritius or Reunion, which increases the costs of approaching the Big Island. Funded by Japan, the port extension is due to be completed in February 2026. By welcoming larger capacity ships, Malagasy infrastructure expected to progress significantly in the ranking.
Tourist attendance is recovering
Madagascar welcomed 111,000 foreign tourists during the first seven months of 2023, a figure which confirms the recovery of the sector since the end of the health crisis. However, attendance on the Big Island remains below the 2019 level.. In July 2023, 25,000 arrivals were recorded, compared to 34,000 in July 2019. The recovery is particularly marked in Nosy Be, thanks to a diversified direct air service from abroad. Fascene airport currently welcomes Air Austral and Ewa Air, Airlink,, Ethiopian Airlines, Neos, but also LOT Polish Airlines, which has been operating from Warsaw since July.
Large-scale solar calls for tenders
The Malagasy government recently launched two calls for tenders for the construction of two photovoltaic power plants with a total capacity of 210 megawatts peak. The Malagasy Ministry of Energy and Hydrocarbons hopes in particular to find candidates for the creation of a giant power plant (200 megawatts peak) a few dozen kilometers from Tananarive. A second project, more modest (10 MWc), is planned in the Majunga region. Currently, Only 2% of electricity produced in the country is of solar origin.
250 million euros of organic production
The organic sector (vegetables, fruits, spices, essential oils) represents a turnover of 250 million euros, according to the Malagasy Organic Agriculture Union. 7,000 tonnes of organic Malagasy products are currently heading for export. The country plans to create “Territories for organic agriculture” to develop large-scale production, in the Moramanga regions, Brickaville et Tamatave.
Fine stones : 34,000 tonnes exported in 2022
Exports of Malagasy fine stones have increased sharply since the end of the health crisis. According to the Central Bank, 34,173 tonnes of these mining products were exported in 2022, for a total value of 378 billion ariarys (77 million euros).
