Bongani Ndlovu
Judith Phiri, Zimpapers Business Desk
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Professor Amon Murwira, has implored Treger Products to accelerate expansion into external markets to help transform the domestic industry from an inward-looking to a regionally and globally oriented stance.
He said this while touring Treger Products’ manufacturing plant on the sidelines of the ZimTrade Annual Exporters Conference in Bulawayo on Friday.
The group has five manufacturing divisions — Monarch Steel, Kango Products, Treger Plastics, Zimbabwe Grain Bag and Treger Harare.
The minister commended the company for investing in modern and knowledge-driven systems after he was briefed on the company’s operations.
Minister Murwira commended the company for investing in modern, knowledge-driven systems, describing such an economy as the foundation of sustainable industrial growth.
“At the end of the day, it is about the people and the knowledge they possess. A knowledge-driven economy is a real economy. Zimbabwe’s economic philosophy is anchored on outward-oriented production.
“To grow this economy, we must feed the world.”
He said for a long time, Zimbabwe had been inward-looking, suggesting the domestic industry must now also seek external markets to create new wealth.
Treger Group said that while its products had established a footprint in parts of Southern Africa, including Mozambique, it was yet to penetrate markets such as Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.
Minister Murwira said the company’s production figures reflected capacity beyond the domestic market.
“The numbers you are showing do not reflect an organisation that wants to feed Zimbabwe only. They reflect an organisation that wants to feed the region.
“To support such expansion, the Government has initiated a programme to establish warehouses for Zimbabwean products in strategic regional markets, beginning with Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he added.
He said the initiative aimed to strengthen logistics through better storage and transportation infrastructure, making it easier for local companies to distribute goods across borders.
The minister said that to build trust in new markets, there was a need to invest in logistics.
“These warehouses will function like bonded facilities where Zimbabwean products can be stored and distributed from within the region. Under the proposed arrangement, companies will retain responsibility for their products while the Government facilitates access to infrastructure to lower market-entry barriers.”
He cautioned that remaining focused on the domestic market limited growth potential.
The minister said growth came only when companies stepped beyond the borders, urging Treger Group to take advantage of the Government’s regional trade facilitation to position itself as a competitive regional brand.
“It is in our national interest to see Zimbabwean products across Africa.”
The visit organised by Zimbabwe’s trade and export vehicle, ZimTrade, underscores President Mnangagwa and the Government’s broader strategy to promote export-led growth and strengthen Zimbabwe’s participation in regional value chains.
Meanwhile, Treger Products (Private) Limited trading as (t/a) Kango Products scooped the Household and Electrical award at the ZimTrade Annual Exporters’ Awards Gala on Friday evening.
They were also runner ups for the Engineering category t/a Monarch Steel and Agricultural Implements t/a Treger Plastics.
Online Reporter