Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare in MUTARE
A US$135 000 cold-chain facility being established in Manicaland is set to become operational within the next two weeks, addressing critical gaps in fish storage, post-harvest handling and market access while supporting Government’s drive for value addition and industrialisation under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) towards Vision 2030.
The development came under the spotlight during a tour of the facility by a European union delegation led by Agriculture, Environment, Private Sector and Trade Engineer Martin Andersen, as part of an assessment of the impact of the EU-funded Fisheries and Aquaculture for Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (FISH4ACP) programme being implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The facility will provide cold storage, processing, packing and distribution services for fish farmers, creating a link between production and markets.
FAO Assistant Representative Ms Tendai Munyokoveri said US$85 000 had been spent on procuring facility components, including the solar power system, while Aquaculture Zimbabwe had injected at least US$50 000 towards business development, technical support, staff training, implementation and monitoring.
“A total of US$85 000 was spent on procurement of the components that will make up the facility, including the solar system,” she said.
Ms Munyokoveri said logistical disruptions and delays in customs clearance had affected the project timeline, but the facility was now expected to be fully operational within three weeks.
Molus Meats general manager Mr Shadreck Munaka said the solar plant would power refrigeration and the wider cold-chain system, with equipment including solar panels already delivered.
“Within seven days, the cold chain should be up and running, only waiting for the official opening, but the setup will be complete,” he said.
Mr Munaka said the facility would mainly serve as a holding and storage point where fish would be received and frozen before distribution through established routes covering Beitbridge, Chimanimani and Buhera.
He said sales vans would also supply butcheries directly, while fish would be transported alongside chicken, beef, goat meat and road runners to maximise truck capacity utilisation.
Zimbabwe Fish Producers Association chairperson Mr Garikai Munatsirei said farmers had already been organised into clusters to facilitate bulk collection and reduce post-harvest losses.
He said refrigerated trucks would collect economic loads from farmers before fish was processed through cutting, freezing and packing at the facility.
“From there, the fish will be distributed across Manicaland and, if volumes permit, as far as Harare and other parts of the country,” Mr Munatsirei said.
Livestock and Fisheries Production Department director Mr Milton Makumbe said the facility was responding to rising national fish production and the need to ensure increased output was matched by infrastructure to preserve its value.
“Government has seen a gradual increase in the amount of fish that has been produced throughout the country,” he said.
Mr Makumbe said fish was highly perishable, making cold-chain infrastructure critical to protecting farmers’ output and incomes.
He said the Government was promoting farmer clusters to facilitate access to extension services, fingerlings and feed, while enabling bulk production and harvesting.
“Once we have all this fish in bulk, this actually necessitates a very robust cold-chain facility,” Makumbe said.
He said the Manicaland facility would feed into Masvingo and Harare, with the private-sector operator’s outlets also providing channels for wider national distribution.
Mr Makumbe said linking farmers to processing and markets would strengthen Zimbabwe’s aquaculture value chain while supporting the broader economic transformation and value-addition objectives under NDS2 and Vision 2030.
