Online Reporter
Martin Kadzere
Business Reporter
COAL exports have more than doubled, registering a 102 percent growth in the first eight months of the year, according to latest statistics from the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ).
Industrial coal exports surged to US$14,4 million from January to August this year, a significant jump from the US$6,4 million recorded during the same period last year, highlighting a major shift, as the country had traditionally focused its exports on higher-value coke products.
The MMCZ is the sole marketing agent for the country’s minerals, excluding gold and silver.
“We are mainly supplying industrial coal to South Africa, the DRC, and Zambia,” said Mr Linos Masimura, chairman of the Coal Producers Association, a lobby group for local coal miners.
However, the growth is being hampered by severe infrastructure issues.
Producers are currently forced to rely on road transport, which is significantly more expensive than rail.
“We can actually do 10 times what we are doing had it not been for the logistical challenges,” Mr Masimura said.
The country’s railway system has been constrained due to lack of investment and years of neglect.
Over-reliance on trucks puts immense strain on national roads, increases operational costs for miners, and raises the price of the exported product, ultimately limiting the country’s competitiveness and ability to fully capitalise on the current market opportunity.
Zimbabwe holds substantial coal reserves, primarily in the Hwange area, making it a vital resource for both industrial uses and domestic power generation and export revenue.
It is the primary fuel for the country’s thermal power stations, such as Hwange Power Station, which supplies the bulk of Zimbabwe’s electricity.
Peter Tanyanyiwa