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George Maponga
Masvingo Bureau
The factory at Rutenga for the benefication of mapfura/marula and adding value to the collected fruit has changed the economy of Mwenezi district, with more than 1 000 families now directly benefiting by gathering the wild fruit and delivering them to the factory.
Villagers this year delivered nearly 300 tonnes of mapfura/marula fruit to the plant despite the El Nino-induced drought that affected the availability of the fruit which traditionally is ubiquitous in Mwenezi and surrounding districts such as Chivi and Chiredzi.
The plant has put Rutenga on the cusp of industrialisation amid plans by the National Biotechnology Authority (NBA) to develop a plantation and ensure an uninterrupted supply of the fruit which is harvested from the wild every year between February and April.
Plans are underway for the factory to tap into the lucrative export market to sell the flagship mapfura wine and body oil, two products currently being manufactured at the factory that was commissioned by President Mnangagwa in 2021. It kick-started a government programme to use locally-available resources to drive rural industrialisation in line with Vision 2030, fulfilling the leaving no one and no place behind mantra.
NBA is closely working with ZimTrade to explore export opportunities for world-class organic products from the factory that employs more than 150 during the peak season.
Most of the workers are drawn from Rutenga Growth Point and surrounding districts.
Villagers said the factory was stimulating socio-economic transformation across the Mwenezi district.
“We used to view the Mapfura fruit as undesirable, as only good for wild animals and livestock especially donkeys, but ever since the Government built a mapfura processing factory at Rutenga, our lives have been transformed,” said Mrs Mavis Moyo from Lapache in Mwenezi.
Ambuya Vidah Mutomani from Chitanga said she was now able to fend for her grandchildren thanks to the Mapfura plant where she delivers the fruit during the harvesting season.
“This year was not very good because the fruit was not in abundance due to drought but still I managed to pick and deliver enough fruit to generate sufficient income to pay school fees for my grandchildren and also to buy food since this year there is a drought. We want to thank President Mnangagwa for opening this factory which is now our source of livelihood.”
A Rutenga Growth Point mechanic, Mr Vengesai Foroma, said the coming on board of the mapfura processing plant had breathed life into the district’s economy.
“Small businesses are benefiting from the Mapfura processing plant by getting contracts to do various jobs so we are very happy because money is now circulating at Rutenga Growth Point and the district in general. Even the burden of looking after our parents is now less because they are also generating income from selling mapfura,” he said.
Ms Constance Chinaka of Tayi village noted that the mapfura was a boon for the district’s economy.
“Before the processing plant was opened, the mapfura fruit used to rot here but it has now turned into a blessing because our young people are getting employment and we are also generating income to fend for our families,” she said.
Mr Noel Marimo, the Rutenga mapfura plant engineer and acting plant manager, said new equipment was being installed at the factory.
“This project is a classic example of the application of Education 5.0 to engender rural industrialisation. Initially, we thought we could get just 17 tonnes of fruit a day but we were shocked that on average per day we were getting about 30 tonnes of mapfura fruit,” he said.
“The mapfura plant has scope for further growth and we continue to install new equipment. We have some equipment that was delivered recently.”
Mr Marimo allayed fears that if the plant continues to undergo expansion there will be challenges of feedstock for value addition.
“We have enough fruit for value-addition. There are lots of mapfura trees in the country. We can even get the fruit from other dry regions in the country like Matabeleland South and even Muzarabani in Mashonaland Central. So there is huge scope for expansion.
“We have also applied for 10 000 hectares of land from Mwenezi Rural District Council to develop our own plantation of the fruit and have a reliable supply. However, we also feel that the fruit should grow in natural conditions for it to make good products.
“More than 1000 families are benefiting directly from supplying the mapfura fruit here and we are also employing locals in our factory, 90 percent of our workforce is drawn from the Mwenezi community.
“We are also offering industrial attachment opportunities to university students from this area especially those with a bias towards research and science,” Mr Marimo said.
Mr Marimo said the plant would soon venture into charcoal production using the now dumped mapfura kernels as the raw material and also make products such as chocolates using the fruit.
A 50kg pack of high-grade mapfura fetches US$5 and some individuals can deliver up to 5 tonnes or more.
“This is the rural industrialisation that the Government is talking about and has firmly put the nation on course to achieve Vision 2030 targets because something tangible is happening and lives are being changed,” added Mr Marimo.
Mwenezi RDC chief executive Mr Albert Chivanga hailed the project.
“As it stands the mapfura plant has changed the face of Rutenga Growth Point because already we now have an industrial area where the biggest industry is the mapfura value addition plant.
“The factory will be processing the fruit throughout the year; there is sufficient storage for the picked fruit that will be gradually processed.
“The plant has created jobs and opportunities for small industries that offer their services and this project has kick-started industrialisation at Rutenga. This is the rural industrialisation that the Second Republic is always talking about and at this rate Vision 2030 targets are achievable,” said Mr Chivanga.
Online Reporter
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