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Munyaradzi Musiiwa, Midlands Correspondent
BEVERAGE manufacturer Delta Corporation has heeded Government’s call for austerity measures and minimised the importation of PET and cans packaging and encouraged flint bottle circulation in an endeavour to reduce the their company’s foreign currency demands which will in turn reduce the country’s import bill, an official has said.
In an interview, Delta company secretary Mr Alex Makamure said the company was also employing measures to conserve the country’s hard-earned foreign currency by reducing expenditure. Delta productions once dwindled owing to inadequate foreign currency that resulted in shortage of soft drinks and lagers. Mr Makamure said the company was injecting more bottles in the market as one way packages such as PET and cans were being imported.
“We are currently encouraging the consumers to use the returnable glass bottles as a way of conserving foreign currency. The one-way packages such as PET and cans are imported. The traders will in some cases require an exchange of one to one with consumers to encourage the bottle circulation. We are currently injecting more bottles into the market,” he said.
Mr Makamure said Delta was importing glass bottles from South Africa, Tanzania and Egypt. He said the company now has the capacity to meet the national demand of soft drinks and beer.
“Glass bottles are being imported from South Africa, Tanzania or Egypt. The company has enough capacity to meet consumer demand. There has been a notable decline in consumer spending arising from the prevailing macro-economic situation,” he said.
Delta started importing glass bottles following the closure of Zimbabwe Glass Industries (Zimglass) which was also the country’s sole flint glass manufacturer. Its bottles had also failed to meet Delta’s minimum standards.
Zimglass suspended operations in September 2010 to embark on a refurbishment exercise of the blast furnace as well as replace outmoded equipment. It went on to reopen in 2012 but closed again in 2014.
The company also used to produce flint glass, amber glass and green bottle beer containers for Delta, pharmaceutical containers as well as wine bottles among other products.
Online Reporter