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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Matabeleland South Bureau Chief
MS Joyce Ndlovu (68) wakes up as early as 6.30 AM each morning and starts producing her maputi or popcorn, one of the country’s most popular snacks made from maize using a pressure gun and water.
She has an industrial machine, popularly known as a maputi gun that she uses to process maize into maputi. Ms Ndlovu usually operates the machine herself but on busy days she engages an assistant.
She uses firewood to power the machine and water to process her maize into maputi. Once processed she pours the maputi onto a big sieve to remove the chaff.
Ms Ndlovu then adds colouring to some of the popocorn to produce what is popularly known as coloured maputi.
She has been running her business for the past four years. Ms Ndlovu made savings from the money she earned from selling roasted groundnuts.
The Gwanda-based entrepreneur is a major supplier of maputi in the mining town. Retail shops are the major buyers of her maputi and she says her business has been her major source of income since 2018.
Ms Ndlovu operates a small maputi factory at the Matabeleland South Agricultural Showgrounds in Gwanda town where she produces and packages maputi. She employs part-time workers to assist her to package the popcorn.
A 20-litre bucket of maize produces six buckets of processed maputi with each one giving her 20 by 50 grammes packets.
She buys a 50kg bucket of maize from the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) for R350.
Ms Ndlovu’s machine can produce a 30-litre bucket of maputi at one pop. Her ultimate goal is to buy a biggger machine.
When Ms Ndlovu started selling maputi, she did not have a machine. She would buy maize and have her maputi processed elsewhere.
“I started selling maputi while I was staying in Mberengwa. I would buy maize and take it to Gweru for processing and that is how I realised that selling maputi was a good business,” she said.
“Whne I relocated to Gwanda, I continued with the business although I started by selling roasted groundnuts.”
Ms Ndlovu said she used to go around the residential areas and offices selling her groundnuts.
“There was a great demand for my groundnuts and I used some of the money I raised to invest in a savings club. We were three members and we used to contribute US$5 each a day,” she said.
Ms Ndlovu said after saving for a year, she managed to buy the machine she is using now in Harare for US$1000.
She said the suppliers trained her on how to operate the machine.
“When producing maputi, I put the maize into the machine, add water and close tightly to keep out the air. It takes 10 minutes to pop the maize,” she said.
Ms Ndlovu said while the maputi-making business is good, she faces challenges in terms of the supply of maize.
“I supply shops, individuals and vendors and the demand is very high. I am infact failing to meet demand hence I need a big machine and a regular supplier of affordable maize. It’s cheaper to buy maize from GMB but I can only buy limited quantities once a month from the local depot,” she said.
She said buying the maize from individuals is expensive.
“I used to buy it at R75 for a 20-litre bucket from other suppliers but now they have increased the price to R150. When there is a good harvest, the price of maize goes down and it is good for my business,” said Ms Ndlovu.
She said as part of her plans to diversify and expand the business, she intends to venture into peanut butter production.
Ms Ndlovu said her long term plan is to impart skills to other women and economically empower the girl child.
“Some of the women and girls end up engaging in anti- social activities like prostitution because they have nothing to do,” she said. – @DubeMatutu
Online Reporter