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THE Grain Marketing Board (GMB) missed the target of commissioning its stock-feeds manufacturing plant in Norton in September due to delays in the shipment of critical components required to finish construction, an official has said.
The plant will now be commissioned in December this year. Construction of the plant started in 2007, but lack of funding and the hyper-inflationary environment that characterised the economy in 2008 stalled progress.
GMB corporate communications manager Ms Muriel Zemura said the plant would come on line in December.
“The Norton stock-feed plant is now earmarked for commissioning in December 2013,” she said.
“We have missed our target by three months which is normal with projects of this nature. Delays were a result of shipping delays of some of the critical components of the plant which have now arrived and are currently being installed.”
Ms Zemura said the plant would have capacity to produce a total of 240 metric tonnes per day. The plant, to produce stock-feed for cattle, poultry and pigs, is expected to ease current bottlenecks in supplies on the market. The initiative is meant to boost revenue inflows for the parastatal, which has on many occasions failed to timeously pay farmers who deliver grain to its depots.
It is also part of efforts by the GMB to commercialise and diversify operations after separating its commercial activities from the strategic grain reserve function.
The GMB is now involved in maize milling, flour production, pre-packs trading, bakeries, stock-feed and silo products.
The parastatal has 84 depots countrywide. – New Ziana
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter