Cédric de Spéville, CEO of Eclosia: "Our region will be resilient if our islands are resilient"

Cédric de Spéville, CEO of Eclosia, discusses the company's financial performance and its history in the region. He emphasizes the long-term strategy behind Eclosia's regional ambitions.

Eclosia is strategically important for the economy. Before diving into the numbers, it's worth noting that Eclosia originated in Mauritius and now operates in Madagascar, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Seychelles. We employ around 5,500 people across seven diverse sectors, including food, education, hotels, energy, and recycling. For the financial year 2024-2025, the group reported a revenue of just over Rs 20 billion, with Rs 4 billion coming from regional operations and an operating profit of approximately Rs 2 billion.

The group began its regional operations in Madagascar in 1994, starting with regular chick exports. We have successfully integrated with local Malagasy farmers since then. Madagascar was chosen for its direct connectivity and market potential. At the time, there was no structured supply chain or established professionals in the poultry sector, allowing us to adapt our model to benefit the local economy.

Our goal has always been to enhance food security through local production, working with the country's citizens. We began in Mauritius and are following the same path in Madagascar and other regional countries. Our fate is tied to the fate of the countries we operate in.

The first project took off modestly with a hatchery in Madagascar, replacing chick exports with local production. By the early 2000s, operations accelerated with the launch of LFL Madagascar, essential for the success of the poultry industry.

Today, Eclosia employs about 1,200 people in Madagascar, alongside numerous franchise partners and farmers we support daily. Our long-standing presence since 1994 has helped professionalize the poultry production sector in terms of efficiency and sanitary quality, despite challenges faced by the country. Recent events have prompted us to take necessary precautions to protect our teams while remaining committed to local communities.

In the food production sector, we launched Yoplait yogurt production in Madagascar in 2020, which has quickly become popular. We also opened the first KFC restaurant that year, with plans for a third by the end of 2025.

Panagora Madagascar provides market access, distribution, and marketing services for our brands, while FTL manages complex logistics for local and international clients.

Looking to the future, we envision Madagascar as the "Granary of the Indian Ocean," focusing on grain and protein production to ensure food security for the region. To achieve this, Madagascar must first satisfy its own needs.

Our structured project focuses on maize production, where we assist thousands of farmers in improving practices, mechanization, funding, and localized storage. We aim to enhance yields and ensure fair compensation for farmers.

We also support discussions with authorities on potential adjustments in fiscal policies to unlock local production potential.

If Madagascar succeeds in becoming the "Granary of the Indian Ocean," it would significantly advance towards a more resilient and locally integrated regional food system. Resilience in our region depends on the resilience of each island. True regional cooperation requires harmonized regulations, public-private dialogue, trust, and time to identify collaborative levers without compromising each island's unique characteristics.

In the coming years, we will continue to identify needs and find partners to build optimal solutions in our areas of expertise. After Madagascar, we have expanded to East Africa, beginning with Kenya, where we established a breeding farm in 2019. We also have operations in Rwanda, where we have created a structured supply chain by integrating local actors.

Our ongoing investments and exciting projects for Mauritius reflect our commitment to building a stronger regional presence by 2030.