dyton mupawaenda
Victor Maphosa in Mutoko
Progress is now accelerating on the construction of the biodiesel and cooking oil processing refinery in Mutoko by Finealt Engineering with the pilot plant soon to be ready to process 3 000 litres of biodiesel and 5 000 of cooking oil every day before the upgrade into full commercial refining.
Special Advisor to the President on Monitoring Implementation of Government Programmes and Projects Dr Jorum Gumbo yesterday applauded Finealt Engineering for the tremendous progress made so far when he toured the construction site in Mutoko to have an appreciation of the progress to date.
Addressing other stakeholders who were also part of the tour, Dr Gumbo highlighted the impact of such huge projects on the economy of the nation.
“I have been briefed that considerable progress has been recorded since the inception of the projects including acquisition of 100 hectares of land in Mutoko, lease of 6 000 hectares of land in Nyakadecha from Mudzi Rural District Council for the development of a Jatropha Estate, construction of a site laboratory and warehouse at Mutoko amongst others.
“In my view, the most positive and interesting development to date has been the construction of a pilot plant with the capacity to produce 3 000 litres of biodiesel and 5 000 litres of cooking oil per day. From where I stand and in light of the mandate given to me by the President, these and other milestones that you highlighted during the briefing are indeed commendable.”
“Government expects to see a more robust and expeditious implementation of these projects in order for the country to begin to benefit from the consumption of the end products. There should be an increased footprint of your products on the local market. I therefore look forward to the day, when your biodiesel will lead to a significant reduction in the price of conventional diesel on the local market and your cooking oil will become the brand of choice in our supermarkets.
“I am pleased that the national biofuels policy has been developed to guide the long-term sustainable development of the biofuel sector in the country through the provision of an enabling environment. There are several benefits that will accrue to the country as a result of the adoption and production of biofuels including reduction of the impact of fuel emissions on our people, job creation in rural areas and reduction in refined liquid fuel imports.”
Dr Gumbo said the projects are being implemented against a background where the National Development Strategy 1 blueprint acknowledged the low uptake of sunflower, soya beans and cotton into the value chain due to obsolete machinery, outdated technology and the emerging alternatives.
“That is why priority is given to developing and strengthening already existing value chains and beneficiation of agricultural products. The NDS1 is also prioritising decentralisation of industrialisation initiatives in line with the policy thrust of Devolution and Decentralisation. In this regard, value addition and beneficiation industries are being located in specific provinces and districts where the endowments are located.
“The biodiesel processing and cooking oil manufacturing plants project for which we are gathered here today are typical examples of this new strategy. Indeed, it is the desire of Government that provincial authorities be empowered to spearhead economic and social development in their jurisdictions by leveraging on local resources.”
Mutoko Rural District Council chief executive officer Mr Birriati Tasarira said the coming in of investors in Mutoko has a positive impact across the district.
“This kind of investment will have a huge impact especially in Mutoko centre and the district at large. The organisation will definitely employ a lot of people and this will mean a demand of residential and commercial stands.
“So there is going to be huge growth in Mutoko centre. The district gross domestic product (GDP) and that of the province will grow. This investment will surely have a positive impact for the people of Mutoko.”
Biodiesel was first mooted in the early 2000s as a potential significant industry for Zimbabwe using jatropha oil seed, but little was done until Finealt Engineering took the concept seriously and started planning and construction at Mutoko.
Online Reporter