Chronicle Editor
Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent
A NEW mining explosives manufacturing plant is nearing completion in Kwekwe with production expected to commence before year end, which will help Zimbabwe trim the import burden.
Located a few kilometres outside the mining town, Intrachem, would be getting raw material from Sable Chemicals and is expected to reduce reliance on imported raw materials.
Speaking after the tour of the plant by Industry and Commerce Minister, Dr Sekai Nzenza, last Thursday, Intrachem chief executive, Mr Langton Nyandoro, said the engineers were now conducting test runs of the plant with production expected to commence at the commissioning in November.
“We broke the ground in October 2018 after we managed to get an international investor under the Second Republic. We were inspired by the new dispensation’s national industrialisation policy, which seeks to cut on imports. So, we chose the explosives industry,” he said.
Mr Nyandoro said the company will expand the plant in future with the view of satisfying the local market, which at the moment heavily relies on imported explosives. He said the choice to set up the plant in the Midlands was strategic and deliberate as there are a lot of mining activities in the province.
“We have a lot of mining activities in the Midlands and around the country so that’s why we came to the Midlands. The country currently imports all the explosives requirements and that’s why we are coming in to close this gap,” said Mr Nyandoro.
He said most of the raw materials for the manufacturing explosives will be sourced locally at Sable Chemicals on the outskirts of Kwekwe.
“We, however, have some raw materials we will be importing hence will be liaising with the Government so that we get exemption on duty so that our prices become competitive,” he said.
In her remarks Minister Nzenza said the country was spending over $4 billion on imports annually hence the Second Republic has crafted the National Industrialisation Policy to boost local production. She said the new policy saw the birth of companies such as Intrachem, which will be producing mining explosives locally so as to cut on imports.
“We consume too much from outside and the Second Republic is determined to cut on this. This is why we are here to see progress on our very new plant so that we reduce the country’s mining explosives import bill,” said Dr Nzenza.
“As a country we have been importing all our explosives requirements from South Africa and Peru. So, the coming in of Intrachem will be a game changer and the Government will give the company much needed support to implement our import substitution vision.”
The Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister, Senator Larry Mavima, who also participated in the tour said Intrachem will help improve the province’s economy.
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