Chronicle Editor
Nqobile Bhebhe, Senior Business Reporter
MEAT processor, CSC Boustead Beef Zimbabwe says it is expecting to resume operations in August with small-scale farmers being urged to play a leading role in supplying livestock.
Boustead Beef (Pvt) Ltd, the United Kingdom investor, took over the defunct Cold Storage Company in 2019 under a recapitalisation deal with Government and has committed to injecting a minimum of US$130 million.
Its main mandate is to revive the strategic company’s operations across the country by refurbishing industrial assets such as ranches, feedlots and residential properties.
Despite stakeholder criticism over delays in resuscitating the factory, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, Dr Anxious Masuka yesterday expressed satisfaction at the progress made towards the resumption of operations.
He undertook an impromptu tour of the facility with Industry and Commerce Deputy Minister, Raj Modi, ministry officials and Boustead investor representative Mr Nick Havercroft.
“This visit to Boustead CSC has been impromptu. The last time I was here was at the beginning of May and I saw that there was some progress. They promised that by 31 May they would have completed renovations.
“However, because of supply chain disruptions necessitated by geo-political issues and Covid-19, they are now about six weeks away from completion,” said the minister.
“I am told that by August 1 we will be able to see the first carcasses going through. When we walked through the plant, we saw that substantial progress has been made. I am impressed with the progress that has been made with the resuscitation of the plant.”
Dr Masuka said with the resumption of operations drawing closer, communal farmers must gear up to deliver a steady supply of livestock to the factory.
“What we now want to see is the through-put coming, not just from A1 and A2 farmers but from the communal farmers as well. This is in line with President Mnangagwa’s vision of a prosperous upper middle-income society.
“So the communal farmers must now begin to realise business out of their livestock. The business model that has been explained to me clearly caters for that community.”
During the tour, workers at various points of the plant were busy with renovations.
Mr Havercroft, who is representing investors from the United Kingdom, China and Switzerland, said despite challenges in the delivery of key spare parts for the plant, he was upbeat about the progress made.
The resuscitation of the Bulawayo plant has largely been delayed by the Covid-19-induced national lockdowns as the investor could not import critical spares to facilitate the rehabilitation project.
He said a batch of spare parts were stuck “between Shanghai, Nairobi and Harare”.
Mr Havercroft said with the high global demand for meat, and the export market requiring high-grade meat, they won’t sideline other grades of beef largely produced by communal farmers.
“We are not focusing just on the export market, we are a local company, a Zimbabwe company and there is demand locally for meat,” he said.
On the number of projected cattle to be slaughtered per day, he said the ultimate aim is 1 000 but as a start, they are looking at 200.
“We are partnering with communal farmers. I have a challenge from my investors to do a minimum of 200 per day during the start-up phase.
“We can slaughter 1 000 a day if we get support from the farmers and we have re-engineered the plant for that capacity if we get the supply,” he said.
“We have 5,7 million head of cattle in the country and we have the export market and local demand as well. Hopefully, if I can get 500 a day then we would have succeeded in our mission.
“With 1 000 a day we would have done extremely well. That is our target within 24 months of resumption. Demand for beef is there worldwide.”
At its peak in the 1990s, the company that owns four abattoirs in the country used to employ 1 500 permanent workers and about 700 casual employees, thereby making it one of Zimbabwe’s biggest employers.–@nqobilebhebhe
Online Reporter