Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare
Chikurubi Farm Prison is targeting gross monthly livestock revenue of at least US$150 000 as the Government transforms prison farms into productive agricultural enterprises that contribute to the economy and inmate rehabilitation.
The revenue projection is being driven by a partnership between the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) and AfriqueNyama Abbattoirs, which is operating a toll-slaughter facility at the prison farm.
The facility is designed to provide slaughtering services to livestock farmers from around the country, creating an additional commercial stream for the correctional institution.
The developments came under the spotlight on Thursday following a tour of ZPCS agricultural and livestock projects at Chikurubi Farm Prison by officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, ZPCS and industry stakeholders.
Speaking soon after the tour, AfriqueNyama Abbattoirs director Dr Alexander Madzivanyika, said the beef abattoir had the capacity to process up to 150 cattle a day at a toll-slaughter fee of US$30 per animal.
At full capacity, the facility could generate about US$4 500 a day, translating to approximately US$90 000 in gross monthly income based on 20 operating days.
Dr Madzivanyika said the company was also constructing a pork abattoir capable of processing 200 pigs a day, while plans were underway for a poultry facility.
He said the combined operations could result in Chikurubi generating no less than US$150 000 in gross monthly income once the livestock hub reaches the envisaged scale.
“This is actually a value addition investment in the livestock production sector,” he said.
Dr Madzivanyika said the investment was also aligned with the long-term objective of making ZPCS less dependent on Treasury funding through productive ventures.
“The trajectory towards Vision 2030, we want to make the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service independent from the fiscus completely,” he said.
Fisheries and Livestock Production director, Mr Milton Makumbe, said the ministry had been working with ZPCS on agricultural initiatives, including breeding sites and aquaculture projects.
He said the partnership was now being broadened to cover dairy, beef and small stock, with Chikurubi being used as a proof of concept before the model is replicated across the country’s 32 prison centres.
“So what we want is to have a proof of concept, to start small, but ensure that we expand to the different farms that are also across the country,” he said.
Mr Makumbe said agricultural training was also equipping inmates with skills that could enable them to establish their own projects after completing their rehabilitation.
Deputy Commissioner General responsible for Production and Business Development, Social Ndanga, said agricultural production was an important component of inmate rehabilitation.
“This is part of the rehabilitation activities which are happening in the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service,” he said.
He said ZPCS was also seeking to move beyond the sale of raw agricultural products towards value addition.
“We are not only selling meat; we want to add value to whatever we are producing here,” said DCG Ndanga.
Chikurubi’s agricultural operations include dairy, piggery, goats, sheep, aquaculture, maize and vegetable production, with some of the surplus being sold to the market.
The dairy enterprise currently has 33 cows and produces about 240 litres of milk, according to officials.
Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers extension and field projects manager. Mr Gerald Chivete, who was part of the tour, said the organisation was supporting the prison farm to increase dairy production and productivity.
“Our interests are mainly in their dairy section, and we are there to support them to increase production and productivity so that they are self-sufficient in terms of milk and also contribute to the national milk volume,” he said.
However, Chikurubi’s expansion plans face infrastructure constraints, including limited irrigation, six unequipped boreholes and ageing farm machinery, which officials say need to be addressed to unlock the farm’s full commercial potential.
The Government and its partners now want to use Chikurubi as a proof of concept for expanding productive agricultural enterprises across the country’s 32 prison centres, with the model expected to link production, value addition and inmate rehabilitation.
