Bell Equipment has announced that Lonagro Mozambique has been appointed as its exclusive dealer in Mozambique and Malawi as part of its group strategy to grow its independent dealer network in select markets.

Explaining the rationale behind the Lonagro appointment, Bell Equipment's Group Marketing Director, Stephen Jones, said: "Working through independent dealers has proven to be a model that allows us to provide better coverage and support to our customers in markets where areas are vast, and machine populations are low. In the equipment industry, infrastructure and investment are required to provide support that is essential to users of this equipment. In our experience, synergies develop quickly with dealers that have complementary products that can help support the necessary infrastructure and better weather market cycles."

Lonagro is a division of Lonrho Group, which holds John Deere Agriculture dealerships in a number of African countries. It has quickly made a name for itself in the highly contested agriculture equipment market by displaying a willingness to invest and take a long-term view of the countries in which it operates as well as its equipment users and future opportunities.

Lonagro is equally excited about the opportunity provided by being able to supply and support the extensive range of Bell products into the territory.

"While the market remains difficult we are confident in the future of the countries. Long term agriculture, mineral resource and infrastructure opportunities are vast, and with our Bell alliance we can now supply a significant range of products that will be used in these industries. This will allow Lonagro to continue to invest and position itself as the clear equipment provider of choice,” comments Reinhardt van Zyl, Managing Director of Lonagro.

*First published in SA Forestry magazine, Aug 2017