Online Reporter
Business Reporter
ZIMBABWE Stock Exchange (ZSE)-listed agro-industrial group Ariston Holdings expects its macadamia nut output to double after it adopted artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technology for its operations.
This comes as the company steps up investments aimed at boosting quality, efficiency and earnings.
The group recently acquired an advanced X-ray machine that integrates AI into its macadamia production process, a move management says will significantly enhance quality control while underpinning revenue growth.
Ariston said the introduction of the new technology had already delivered tangible gains, with macadamia nut sales volumes surging 93 percent in the third quarter of 2024 to 1 171 tonnes, up from 606 tonnes recorded in the same period last year.
The X-ray machine enables the company to assess the internal quality of nut-in-shell macadamias, detecting defects that are not visible to the naked eye.
This has improved the accuracy of sorting and grading, reduced reliance on manual inspection and enhanced operational efficiency across the value chain.
Using the technology, Ariston can scan each nut individually before export, ensuring consistent quality assurance and more effective pricing.
The equipment also detects foreign objects or contaminants, safeguarding product integrity and consumer safety, while differentiating nuts by kernel size to support informed market pricing.
Ariston’s head of engineering, Mr Gibbs Manyukwa, said the technology gives the company greater flexibility to meet customer specifications and manage its harvest and post-harvest processes more effectively.
