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Business Reporter
ALLIED Timbers Zimbabwe is diversifying into fruit tree production as it seeks to add revenue streams and ensure optimum usage of its vast tracts of land, an official has said.
Allied, wholly owned by Government, owns 60 percent of Zimbabwe’s commercial forests.
While the company will stagger the replanting of pine trees on part of the 60 000 hectares of land that have been wantonly harvested in the recent years to allow for better management of plantations, the diversification will, in the interim, enable Allied to grow early mature fruit trees to help bridge or narrow revenue gap in the short term.
“We have 60 000 ha of land that we need to replant but we cannot do it at once because it will be difficult to manage,” Allied chief executive Dr Daniel Sithole said in an interview.
“In the interim, we have to diversify land use to achieve optimum use of our estates.” Dr Sithole said adding that Allied would invite investors interested in fruit trees production.
“We have ideal climatic conditions and land for fruit trees. We will also look for partners interested in investing in livestock and macadamia production,” said Dr Sithole.
Allied has already embarked on a replanting drive, targeting at least 6 000 hectares annually in the next decade.
The move is meant to avert looming shortage of mature trees.
There are growing fears that the country could run out of mature trees in the next nine years if the industry does not embark on an immediate aggressive replanting programme.
“We are looking at replanting mainly pine trees in the next five years so that we have a sustainable supply of the resource in the short to medium term,” said Dr Sithole.
Over the past 15 years, there has been a huge mismatch between planting and harvesting, a development which might see the industry running out of mature trees.
Online Reporter