Africa Flexitank Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Loading Type (Top Loading, Bottom Loading), By Layer Type (Single-layer, Multilayer), By Application (Edible Oil, Wine), And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030

Africa Flexitanks Market Size & Trends

The Africa flexitank market size was estimated at USD 41,922.1 thousand in 2022 and is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.8% from 2023 to 2030. Increased production of edible oils, particularly palm oil, across Africa is one of the key drivers that is expected to accelerate the product demand. In addition, the higher cost efficiency provided by flexitank over their counterparts, such as intermediate bulk containers, steel drums, and ISO containers, in terms of volume capacity, number of units, and reduced average filling times, is expected to support market growth in Africa. The Central & Southern Africa regional part of Africa has a significant export market compared to other regional parts of Africa. According to the African Development Bank, the Central Africa real GDP growth in 2022 was 5.0% compared to 3.4% growth in 2021.

The region is home to net exporters of crude oil and agricultural commodities, such as edible oils and wines, which supports its economic growth. The Southern part of Central & Southern Africa's GDP growth in 2022 was 2.7%, which was lower than the African and global averages, which stood at 3.8% and 3.4% respectively. The economic growth in the Southern part of Central & Southern Africa is expected to slow down in 2023 to 1.6% and is expected to progress to 2.7% in 2024. The engagements to increase the global export competitiveness and trade in the Southern African part are expected to support the economic growth in the region, thereby creating a positive outlook for the market.

For instance, USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub targets trade growth between the Southern African countries and the U.S. The USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub has obligated an amount of USD 55,671, 230.46 for the period from 2016 to 2022 to improve the exports and trade condition in Southern Africa, which can create a positive impact on the market for liquid product exports. In South Africa, sunflower oilseed is the most vital oilseed crop as it is the largest source of vegetable oil followed by canola and soybeans. Sunflower seed is mainly utilized to produce oilcake and sunflower oil.

According to the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP), each year, nearly the entire local sunflower harvest in South Africa is dedicated to the processing industry, where it is transformed into sunflower oil. Sunflower production in the country typically ranges from 600,000 tons to 800,000 tonnes annually. This production scenario can improve the sunflower oil export opportunities in the country, which is anticipated to increase the product demand. Moreover, flexitank is a more economical packaging solution than the traditional International Organization for Standardization (ISO) tanks & drums used for transporting liquids. It has become the key alternative packaging solution for companies that aim at low-cost transportation of liquids, such as wines, soft drinks, juice concentrates, liquid latex, agricultural oils, non-hazardous chemicals, biofuels, and glycerin.

Loading Type Insights

Based on the loading type, the market is categorized into top loading and bottom loading. The bottom loading segment accounted for the largest revenue share of over 65.0% in 2022 and is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period. This positive outlook is due to the reduction of the risk of spills and the elimination of the risk of accidents associated with working at heights in the case of top loading.

Top-loading flexitank is tailored for loading them from the upper side, providing a practical and effective solution for transporting large quantities of liquid in bulk. The procedure for loading a top-loading flexitank involves attaching the loading hose or pipe to the upper valve of the flexitank to fill and empty the bulk liquid. The top loading requires additional manpower to be delegated at the top side to monitor the filling process and for assembling and disassembling of coupling to the valve during the filling process.

Layer Type Insights

Based on layer type, the market has been further segmented into monolayer and multilayer. The multilayer flexitanks segment dominated the market in 2022 and accounted for the largest share, in terms of revenue, in the same year. Each layer of multilayer flexitanks is very thin, which makes it more flexible compared to monolayer flexitanks; and the inclusion of multilayers provides additional protection against puncture.

Multilayer flexitanks provide an effective barrier against oxygen and moisture making it suitable for transportation of food-grade liquids. The monolayer flexitank is made of a single layer of polyethylene (PE) and is thick compared to a multilayer. It is less flexible compared to multilayer flexitank and has a potential risk of rupturing.

Application Insights

Based on application, the market is segmented into edible oil and wines. The edible oil segment dominated the market in 2022. The African regions, such as North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and Central & Southern Africa, have a significant number of palm trees, and sunflower and olive plantations. These regional parts have limited edible oil production capacity compared to Asia Pacific but have still witnessed demand from North America and European Union countries. Palm oil is a major global commodity as it is used in the manufacturing of shampoos, face washes, face creams, etc. It is utilized for enhancing the taste of processed food products. Palm oil also acts as a natural preservative in frozen meals as it prevents the formation of sticky clusters in them.

Although the global production of palm oil is dominated by Southeast Asian countries, especially Indonesia and Malaysia. The European new law emphasizing the suspension of edible oil imports from Asia Pacific countries due to rapid deforestation has led the European Union to consider Africa as a potential market for edible oil, which can positively influence the flexitanks market in Africa. According to the International Organization of Vine and Wine, Central & Southern African countries, East African Countries, and North African countries are implementing initiatives to boost domestic wine production.

For instance, in June 2020, the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) announced its plans to introduce 13 new grape varieties from South Africa to boost wine production in the country. South Africa is the leading wine producer in Africa, which is followed by Morocco, Kenya, Tunisia, and Egypt among others. Although the European Union dominates the global wine market, African-origin wine also has demand in European countries. These wines are mostly shipped in bottle and bulk packaging. The wine is packed in bulk packaging since it reduces the packaging costs, which can positively influence the flexitanks market in Africa for wine packaging.

Regional Insights

Based on region, the market is segmented into North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and Central & Southern Africa. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), globally, North African countries are the third-largest importers of soybean oil, preceded by India and Bangladesh. They imported approximately 604,000 tons of soybean oil in 2021-2022. However, these countries also re-export edible oil, thereby driving product demand. Cooking oil is one of the preferred imported food products in Algeria. However, the limited domestic capacity of Algeria to produce edible oil has driven agro-industrial companies to set up their production plants to enhance domestic cooking oil production in the country.

For instance, in June 2023, Cevital Food established its cooking oil production plant in Wilaya de Béjaïa. This initiative aims at reducing the cooking oil imports of Algeria, which can create future export opportunities, thus presenting a positive outlook for market growth. East Africa region consists of countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Djibouti, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Madagascar, Mauritius, Sudan, and others. These countries are producers and exporters of edible oils, such as sunflower oil, safflower oil, palm oil, olive oil, and others. The market is mainly driven by the increasing vegetable oil production and subsequently improving exporting opportunities in East African countries.

For instance, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), in 2021, Kenya exported vegetable oils for USD 17.8 million on the global level. In South Africa, sunflower oilseed is the most vital oilseed crop as it is the largest source of vegetable oil followed by canola and soybeans. Sunflower seed is mainly utilized to produce oilcake and sunflower oil. According to the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP), each year, nearly the entire local sunflower harvest in South Africa is dedicated to the processing industry, where it is transformed into sunflower oil. Sunflower production in the country typically ranges from 600,000 tons to 800,000 tonnes annually. This production scenario can improve the sunflower oil export opportunities in the country, which can help increase product demand in the country.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Companies, such as MYFLEXITANK, Qingdao LAF Technology Co., Ltd., Techno Group USA, and SIA FLEXITANKS, have a strong presence in the Africa region via their distributors or their subsidiary companies. These companies offer a large product portfolio comprising products across multiple application segments.

Companies resort to expansions, collaborations, mergers, and acquisitions in a bid to gain higher market share. For instance, in May 2022, SIA FLEXITANKS officially launched its operations across Africa with the opening of SIA Africa in Kwazulu Natal/Durban. This expansion enabled the company to expand its footprint across the African region for bulk liquid transportation.

Africa Flexitank Market Report Scope

Africa Flexitank Market Report Segmentation

This report forecasts revenue growth at a regional level and provides an analysis of the latest trends in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2030. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the Africa flexitank market report on the basis of loading type, layer type, application, and region:

• Loading Type (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Thousand, 2018 - 2030

  • Top Loading

  • Bottom Loading

• Layer Type (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Thousand, 2018 - 2030

  • Single Layer

  • Multilayer

• Application Outlook (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Thousand, 2018 - 2030)

  • Edible Oil

  • Wine

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Thousand, 2018 - 2030)

  • North Africa

    • Algeria

    • Egypt

    • Tunisia

    • Morocco

    • Rest of North Africa

  • East Africa

    • Kenya

    • Tanzania

    • Djibouti

    • Rest of East Africa

  • West Africa

    • Nigeria

    • Senegal

    • Ghana

    • Ivory Coast

    • Rest of West Africa

  • Central & Southern Africa

    • South Africa

    • Zambia

    • CameroonEquatorial Guinea

    • Rest of Central & Southern Africa