Online Reporter
WITH manufacturing now the top economic sector in terms of contribution to Gross Domestic Product, ahead of mining, wholesale and retail, financial services and agriculture, the number of new jobs, and the sort of jobs being created, become critical.
Within the manufacturing sector, the food producers are the core and the largest group, as well as being the first formal industries established more than a century ago.
This can be expected as a lot of processed food and drink has a limited shelf life, so imports are automatically restricted and largely confined to raw materials.
But increasingly the links between food manufacturers and farmers are growing ever tighter, with farmers being contracted to grow the precise crops the industrialists want to buy for their processing, a move being encouraged by the Government.
And not just encouraged but with food manufacturers having to meet minimum percentages of their inputs from local sources.
At the same time markets for processed products are growing faster than populations, thanks to general economic policies that are seeing Zimbabweans becoming better off through fast economic growth along with policies making sure that this growth is spread and enjoyed by all. So people continue to buy the basics, but often these days prefer to buy at least partially processed foods for home cooking.
Last year food manufacture saw a phenomenal 16 percent increase in output, translating into a 19 percent increase in revenue as the advantages of economies of scale kick in.
While there were good harvests after drought, the increase in output is largely driven by demand, as food processors are allowed to import raw materials unavailable in Zimbabwe, although encouraged to help farmers grow what is needed.
All this saw the number of people employed in the food manufacturing industry rise 16 percent, a lot of new jobs in what is considered one of the more labour-intensive manufacturing sectors.
Most of the new jobs require reasonable to high levels of skill, considering the nature of food manufacturing and the stress on consistent quality.
Strict quality control during all stages is necessary, considering the nature of the product and the health standards laid down globally by governments.
A single dirty machine, or contaminated packaging line, or inattentive workers and there are not only legal and financial implications, but also some exceptionally bad publicity and destruction of markets.
The food industry is not one where mistakes can be permitted, so employees need to be carefully hired, well-trained and motivated.
Since the only way Zimbabwe is going to industrialise with consistent annual growth is through exporting what can be processed from local raw materials and then sold, a stress on quality will be required.
Here the food industry can be a leader since it already has a local market where people want exactly what is marked on the label and manufactured to the highest quality.
Manufacturers in other sectors need to see the main lessons from the food production sector: using as much local raw material as possible; linking up with producers of those materials; stressing quality and consistency; hiring proper staff; and even building brands.
It was the food industry around the world that started stressing its brands, mainly as a guarantee of consistent quality, that other manufacturers then adopted.
The food manufacturers are not sitting back. The high level of investment in the industry by both older and newer firms has been noted.
This means that the numbers hired will continue to grow, since no matter what new techniques are used and new equipment installed, this all needs to be done and supervised by human workers.
While industrialists have to be feeding markets, they also need to think about creating new markets for new products, to ensure that what our farmers grow can be processed and eaten.
That means they need to be looking at what is available, and work out ways to make it a desirable product, and also need to introduce new crops by working closely with farmers.
For example we are growing more traditional grains, simply because modern climates make such harvests possible when other crops become very marginal.
But such grains have always required a lot more processing although once processed can usually be used to lever open new markets.
On the other side we need, obviously, to be growing durum wheat to complement our dramatic successes with soft bread wheats, and there are a range of specialised crops that are needed for higher-end condiments and particular products.
So the opportunities for growth are many, and with their experience, and the sort of labour forces they have built up, food manufacturers are well-placed to continue their spectacular growth.
