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Sikhulekelani Moyo, Chronicle Reporter
DIVERSIFIED agro-processing firm, United Refineries Limited (URL), has doubled its contracted soya bean hectarage from 2 500 to 5 000 hectares this farming season in order to grow output.
The giant cooking oil producer recently pioneered the Soya Bean Outgrowers Alliance scheme meant to scale up the production and processing of cooking oil in the country, thereby reducing shortages and cutting import bills.
Soya bean is a major raw material for cooking oil production and is also used to produce stock feeds, soya chunks, flour, and soya milk, among other products.
The out-grower scheme is in its sixth year, having started in 2018 and targeting 15 000ha with a yield of 30 000 tonnes of soya bean during that period.
When it began, farmers were required to have at least 10 hectares to grow the crop.
URL has the capacity to process 72 000 tonnes per annum and Zimbabwe requires 300 000 tonnes of soya bean annually.
In written responses to Business Chronicle, URL chief executive officer, Mr Busisa Moyo, said their aim was to double the hectarage under soya every season for the next five years.
“We have managed to double our contracted hectarage for soya for the 2023/24 farming season and we are still confirming our planted versus contracted hectarage, which we anticipate will be over 7 000 hectares,” he said.
“United Refineries Agri-Ventures is grateful for its forward-thinking partners like AFC, SeedCo, CBZ Agribusiness, Minerva, Nutrimaster, GMH Fuels, Redan Petroleum & Acol Chemicals who are part of our Soya Bean Outgrower Alliance Programme on the inputs side and in supporting our growing network of diligent farmers across the country.”–@SikhulekelaniM1
Online Reporter