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The Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) has secured a partner to revive its tomato pastry operations in the country, chairman Mr Basil Nyabadza has said.
Speaking to journalists, Mr Nyabadza said the identified partner is expected to pour in $2 million for the first phase of the project which will entail reviving Arda’s Zagrinda plant in Norton.
“We have identified a partner for our pastry operations which we jointly own with the Development Trust of Zimbabwe (DTZ). We are fortunate that the new partner is also involved in food processing, so the firm will bring expertise and finance. The capital expenditure they bring in will determine the shareholding they can snap up.
“The first phase of the project will see us resuscitating our Zagrinda plant in Norton which we hope can be bought back to production in the shortest possible time.
“The plant is in good working condition, all we need is working capital for raw materials. A budget of $2 million is enough to kickstart the programme,” he said.
Mr Nyabadza said the firm will contact small-scale farmers to grow specific tomato varieties that will be fed into the plant for both domestic use and exports. He said the plant will also process mangoes and guavas, providing a viable market for growers.
“We are targeting the fish industry in Namibia which is where the bulk of our tomatoes will go to; the Namibians currently rely on pastry from China. We hope to process 60 tonnes of tomatoes a day,” he added.
Mr Nyabadza said the second phase of the project will see the installation of a new plant in Esigodini which had become a white elephant. He said this will fulfil the vision of late Vice President Joshua Nkomo, who championed the acquisition of the plant in the late 90s. However, the plant has never been commissioned and has been lying idle since then.
He said the first phase is expected to take root before the end of the year. Speaking on livestock, Nyabadza said ARDA is reviving its projects in Matabeleland North.
“We are doing our fencing, our water management issues and seeing that material for breeding is available. We are also availing bulls to the villages; if there is cross pollination, a better breed can be realised,” he said.
He said ARDA is also planning to establish an expansive milling facility in Matabeleland that will provide mealie-meal to the region so as ward off imports. – Wires.
Online Reporter