admin
Harare Bureau
Zimbabwe and China plan to establish a multi-million dollar tobacco manufacturing plant that will see Zimbabwe exporting processed tobacco products in line with the country’s economic blueprint, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset).
Speaking in an interview after receiving a high powered delegation from the Chinese tobacco industry at Harare International Airport on Sunday at the weekend, Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) chairperson Monica Chinamasa said the visitors would also explore other areas of business cooperation.
“The visit will allow us to talk to our Chinese counterparts about value addition. We want to have a joint venture with them on cigarette making.
“We want to talk to them to assist us set up this in line with our economic blueprint, the Zim-Asset,” Chinamasa said.
She said they also wanted the Chinese to assist Zimbabwe explore new tobacco markets.
The seven member delegation, led by State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) chief commissioner, Lin Chengxing, was in the country on a two-day working visit.
The STMA is a governmental body responsible for the overall management of China’s tobacco industry including growing, purchase of tobacco leaf, manufacture and distribution of cigarettes and import and export businesses.
Other members of the delegation are China Leaf Tobacco Company president Chen Jianghua, China Tobacco Machinery Group Company president Wang Jianfa, China Tobacco International deputy general manager Gao Xuelin and three officials from the Foreign Affairs department.
This year tobacco growers generated $650 million from the sale of 200 million kilogrammes of the crop that has gained popularity countrywide.
onlinemedia
derick.khumalo