admina cotton seed company, from Cottco in 2006.
Quton is the only cotton seed company in Zimbabwe and its main role is breeding, processing and marketing the seed to largely smallholder sectors in the Sadc region.
To date, the company has made inroads in countries like Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania, where it has been awarded a seven-year exclusive multiplication agreement by the authorities.
The company is currently supplying between 2 000 and 3 000 tonnes of cotton seed in the region annually.
Quton managing director Mr Edworks Mhandu said the plant would be shipped in from the suppliers in two weeks’ time.
“Work will be completed in three months from the time it lands in the country.
“The plant will have an installed capacity of 15 000 tonnes of cotton seed per annum and this will allow us to meet the ever growing demand of cotton seed,” he said.
Mr Mhandu said the company was expanding at the invitation of the Tanzanian government.
“We were requested by the government of that country to multiply cotton seed there to guarantee the availability of the seed in Tanzania where production of the crop is increasing,” Mr Mhandu said.
He said the company was in similar arrangements with other Sadc countries.
Africa produces about one million tonnes of cotton annually out of the 26 million tonnes global output.
Over 27 million people are employed directly or indirectly in the cotton value chain. — New Ziana.
Online Reporter