Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
LEADING banana producer – Matanuska Private Limited – is set to double its hectarage from 321 hectares to 642 hectares by 2030, with plans to scale production upto 1 000 hectares within the next decade, The Manica Post can reveal.
The expansion drive will be anchored on joint ventures (JVs) with neighbouring landowners in the Burma Valley area.
The company’s bananas are highly sought after in the South African market – a key springboard for Zimbabwe’s ambition to achieve a US$2 billion horticultural industry by 2030.
The Government has set this target under a laid-out recovery plan for the sector.
Matanuska’s expansion plans are expected to contribute significantly to the country’s horticultural growth, leveraging on the lucrative South African market and boosting the local economy, while its focus on joint ventures with local farmers is expected to promote economic empowerment and development in the province.
In an interview during a tour of Matanuska Private Limited’s operation in Burma Valley last Friday, by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Professor Obert Jiri, the company’s general manager, Mr Crispen Manyuchi, confirmed the expansion drive.
“In the next five years, we are expecting to double the hectarage from the current 329 to almost 650 hectares. In the next 10 years, we are targeting 1 000 hectares. That will be particularly here in Burma Valley. This will be achieved with the cooperation of local landowners, and negotiations to that effect are ongoing,” said Mr Manyuchi, underscoring the importance of joint ventures (JVs) in their line of production.
“We have 329 hectares of bananas, and of those, 265 are mature plantations where we are harvesting, and the balance are immature. From that area, we are targeting 50 tonnes per hectare, which is the average we are getting at the moment. We have our own land as Matanuska, but we also depend on joint ventures (JVs) with some out-growers. The bulk of that land, which is 200 hectares, is in JV partnership, which is a major focus here to create the green belt of Honde Valley, paying particular attention to banana production,” he added.
In a separate interview, Professor Jiri said the targeted expansion of entities such as Matanuska Private Limited dovetailed into the Government’s horticulture recovery policy.
“We are here in Burma Valley at Matanuska Private Limited to assess the state of production of bananas, being one of our value chains. We are seeing the production of bananas. I must say our climate is so good that Zimbabwe produces the best quality and the best taste. These bananas from Manicaland are really the best in the world.
“So, we are here to see the challenges that they could be facing and areas of improvement that we can share. We are here to explore the opportunities that still remain to ensure that as they grow their main estate and also the out-growers, how they can unlock value for the out-growers and themselves.
“Certainly, we are looking at growing our horticulture industry to US$2 billion by 2030, and the banana value chain is key in that plan. We are looking at consolidating our value chains, and bananas are key, as well as blueberries, pecan nuts, citrus, and other value chains. We have already secured huge markets for citrus under the China Trade Protocol. The same with blueberries. We are working on avocado with China again. With bananas, we do not have to look far. South Africa is a huge market for us, and we already have trade relations with South Africa. So really, we should be able to grow in terms of economies of scale, hectarage-wise, and also grow in terms of yield per hectare,” said Professor Jiri.
Mr Manyuchi confirmed the South African market’s strong demand for bananas produced at Matanuska Private Limited.
“So this is the main thrust for Matanuska, which is to contribute to the national policy of horticulture recovery. In terms of exports, we are exporting our bananas, with almost 60 percent sent to South Africa and the other market being local retailers such as OK, Pick n Pay, and Bon Marche, and those bananas will be of premier quality. The South African market has a huge appetite for our bananas because of the taste, quality, and size. We are taking a significant share of the market in South Africa. In 2023, we won the number one award for the quality of our bananas, competing with other established commercial farmers in South Africa. This was a major achievement in terms of our production upscaling here in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Matanuska Private Limited employs 450 workers, both permanent and contract, and has vast tracts of banana plantations sprawling across the undulating Burma Valley terrain.
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