Online Reporter
Farirai Machivenyika
Senior Reporter
Ahead of the summer cropping season, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Industry and Commerce will this week visit and assess fertiliser manufacturing companies to appreciate their challenges and recommend to the Government policies to improve their operations.
Parliament confirmed the site visits in a statement on Friday.
“The Portfolio Committee on Industry and Commerce is undertaking verification visits to fertiliser companies, engaging directly with stakeholders to appreciate their challenges and capture recommendations that will be presented before Parliament for policy consideration,” read the statement
The companies that the committee will visit include Rushinga-based G and W Mining, which produces limestone for the making of lime, Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company (ZFC) and its wide range of products, Zimbabwe Phosphate (Zimphos) which owns the sole phosphate mine as well as producing a range of products and Superfert.
The country has a combined production capacity of 1,5 million tonnes of fertiliser, but can only produce up to a fifth of this capacity.
Zimbabwe’s fertiliser industry is made up of phosphate mining and the manufacturing of other fertilisers.
The sector faces several operational challenges, chief among them being funding challenges, which have constrained capacity, leading to reliance on imports, as well as raw materials like potash and components of sulphuric acid.
Raw materials for nitrogen now have to be largely imported from countries such as Mozambique with natural gas and like much of Africa, Zimbabwe has to import the feedstock for potassium fertilisers.
Currently, the country imports 75 percent of its fertiliser requirements.
The fertiliser industry is critical to the performance of the agriculture sector, which contributes 12 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.
With the country expected to receive above normal rains this coming summer cropping season, President Mnangagwa assured farmers of the availability of inputs, including fertiliser, in his address to the Zanu PF’s Central Committee.
“We must take advantage of yet another predicted good rainfall season to produce more, to feed ourselves and provide adequate feedstock into industry,” said President Mnangagwa.
“On our part as the Zanu PF Government, we are committed to avail inputs, fertilisers, chemicals and other relevant support across all provinces and districts.”
He called for increased production by farmers taking advantage of trade agreements and protocols to reach out to the export markets.
“Increased production and productivity in the agriculture sector should see us taking advantage of various trade protocols and agreements, which our revolutionary mass party and Government have entered into with progressive nations, such as the People’s Republic of China, as well as under SADC, Comesa and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“In this light, the party, working closely with ministries, departments and agencies of Government, should scale up the capacitation of farmers, SMEs, the youth, women and war veterans to access export markets,” said President Mnangagwa.
