Rural industrialisation in motion

Ray Bande
Senior Reporter

THE Government’s Rural Industrialisation Policy and thrust has received a significant boost from private investors that are injecting substantial funds into cutting-edge monitoring and production technologies in remote areas of Chipinge, Mutasa and Chimanimani districts.

Private players with diverse investment interests in different parts of Manicaland have poured in resources to industrialise their operations, in tandem with Government’s thrust of bridging the gap between marginalised rural and urban communities.

Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza said the province has a total of 30 hectares of land reserved for potential rural industrialisation projects.

“Manicaland has identified land for rural industrialisation in the following areas – Chipinge (10ha), Nhedziwa (2ha), Headlands (3ha), Chiendambuya (3ha), Nyazura (3ha), Nyanga (4ha-Ruwende RSC), Mutare (5ha-Zimunya) — giving a total of 30ha,” said Minister Mugadza.
“Tea processing is one high potential rural industrialisation area in Manicaland. This is being done in Mutasa, Chimanimani, and Chipinge by Tanganda Tea Company, Eastern Highlands Plantation Limited and Southdown Holdings. Timber processing is another. The province has three major companies of timber which are — Border Timbers, Allied Timbers and The Wattle Company in Nyanga, Mutare, Chimanimani and Chipinge respectively. Ethanol production is also another. Sugarcane processing in Chisumbanje by GreenFuel as well as agro-processing, which involves the processing of bananas, avocados and macadamia in Chipinge and Mutasa by different players also speak to the rural industrialisation potential in the province.

‘‘Fertiliser production currently being done in Buhera District at Dorowa Minerals, which produces phosphate, as well as cotton processing in Checheche by Agro Value Chain and in Makoni by H and H are other high potential rural industrialisation areas,” he said.

The province also boasts of lithium mining in Buhera, diamond mining in Chiadzwa and gold mining in Mutasa and Mutare district respectively. It is also value-addition indigenous fruits like baobab, with a state-of-the-art baobab juice plant being commissioned at Mutare Teachers’ College by President Mnangagwa last year.

In Chipinge, acquisition of state-of-the-art industrial machinery by GreenFuel for ethanol production in the remote Chisumbanje area of Chipinge South is bolstering Government’s rural industrialisation efforts.

In a statement, GreenFuel wrote: “We have since upgraded our fleet and now run 9 900-series sugarcane harvesters – state-of-the-art machines packed with cutting-edge tech. Using the Case Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) farming app, we can monitor operations from anywhere in the world.

“At GreenFuel, we are proud to be working closely with Case IH on continuous improvements and upgrades. This is not just a harvester – it is a world-class machine, built with real precision and designed to meet the demands of sustainable, smart farming.”

In-fact, AFS Connect provides remote farm monitoring from any mobile device. So one can farm from anywhere, including their favourite coffee shop.

With Advanced Farming Systems, one can view every field operation, from spring tillage all the way through harvest, from every piece of equipment, share field setup details with operators with the touch of a button and stay connected to operations anywhere one goes.

One can view operating parameters at any time, monitor current and historical machine performance from anywhere as well as stay connected with all their equipment without missing a thing.

The upgrading of machinery at GreenFuel has the spill over benefit of rural-based youths getting exposure to trendy industrial technology. At just 29, Ms Zviko Manheruse is already making waves as an exceptional Instrument Technician at GreenFuel.

Her technical skills and passion for instrumentation keep the plant running smoothly, and her positive attitude and eagerness to learn make her an invaluable part of the team.

Despite having just two years of experience, her talent and dedication have quickly earned her the trust and respect of colleagues.
“I want to express my appreciation to GreenFuel for being an equal opportunity employer, and entrusting me with the responsibility of being an instrument technician in such a complex field. Thank you for recognising and valuing my skills and contributions. Cheers to breaking barriers and paving the way for more women in STEM,” she said.

In the adjacent Mutema-Musikavanhu Constituency – is the Hwakwata Solar and Biogas Project – a 200kW solar mini-grid that has seen folks in the marginalised constituency having solar powered street lights, especially in the vicinity of their shopping centre, and now have irrigated farming lands, while women and girls have ceased the strenuous chores of fetching and cutting trees for firewood, thanks to the use of biogas energy in their kitchens.

In Mutasa District, the Hauna Banana Processing Plant is now 98 percent complete, giving hope to thousands of small-scale farmers in the area. It is expected to be complete by mid this month. The development is part of Government’s rural industrialisation programme, which aims to transform banana farming by promoting value-addition and increasing farmers’ earnings. The factory is expected to directly benefit over 3 000 farmers from 60 banana-producing cooperatives in Honde Valley.

Most of these farmers are women and youths, who have been struggling with low banana prices and post-harvest losses due to lack of processing facilities.

In Chimanimani District, State-owned enterprise, Allied Timbers has been investing in new machinery to improve operations, including state-of-the-art saw mills and equipment for value addition. This includes machinery for timber processing and potential investment in macadamia crushing equipment. The company has also acquired