Zim’s citrus industry blooms in Beitbridge

Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau

BEITBRIDGE, a district known for its bustling border post, very hot temperatures and rich livestock is fast becoming a hub for citrus farming in Zimbabwe.

The area’s conducive weather conditions and communal irrigation schemes have made it an attractive destination for citrus farmers.

Beitbridge produces export quality oranges, grapefruit and lemons from nearly 4 100 hectares of land used by commercial, communal and irrigation farmers.

With its warm climate and reliable water supply, Beitbridge offers ideal conditions for growing a variety of citrus fruits, including oranges, lemons and grapefruits.

Communal farmers in the area are embracing citrus farming, seeing it as a lucrative opportunity to improve their livelihoods.

The Government has been promoting citrus farming in the region, providing support to farmers through training and irrigation infrastructure development.

As a result, citrus production in Beitbridge has increased significantly, with farmers exporting their produce to regional and international markets.

“So far, we have nearly 4 100 hectares under citrus and the hectares keep growing each year. We’re seeing a lot of farmers taking up citrus production at Khwalu, Shashe and Ndambe Phase 2 among others,” said Beitbridge District Agritex Officer Mr Masauso Mawocha.

“On the commercial side, we have Nottingham Estate, Bishopstone, Cawood, Luhwade, Vice President KCD Mohadi, Shambayethu, Benfer Estate and of late we have new projects coming up which include Orange Ville Pvt Ltd and Toppick Investments who have all made a good start.

“The focus by the farmers is mostly on the growing of oranges, grape fruits and lemons. You will note that citrus production is a lucrative enterprise which is profitable when earmarked for export,” he said.

The growth of the citrus industry in Beitbridge has also created employment opportunities for locals, contributing to the town’s economic development.

With its potential for growth and development, Beitbridge is set to become a major player in Zimbabwe’s citrus industry.

During a recent tour of citrus projects in Beitbridge, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga said there was a strong need for the Government and its partners to invest more and build the capacity of farmers in the horticulture sector for them to increase their annual contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He visited high impact projects in Beitbridge including the new US$30 million Orange Ville citrus project at Bishopstone Estate, Nottingham Estate and the Palm River Special Economic Zone project.

The Vice-President said currently, production levels in the sector were gradually rising calling for more investment in the area.

He said more farmers were now taking up opportunities in the citrus production sector and that Beitbridge was taking a lead in that sector.

Vice-President Chiwenga said smallholder farmers and others in communal citrus production projects need to be assisted to expand and increase production to be able to meet the demand for citrus locally and for the international market.

“These projects I have visited have clearly demonstrated that the citrus business has now moved from everywhere in the country to Beitbridge,” he said.

“The infrastructure I have seen here exceeds what we have seen before, all the variables are here for things to work. The only thing we need to look at as Government and the private sector is how to bring water to grow this industry.

“We need to develop water infrastructure and so far, we are pleased with what we have seen in Beitbridge where at Nottingham the owners have built a dam and increased hectares from 950 to 1 500 hectares.

“This is what we want to see, all the farmers here should sit down and expand the projects to incorporate the 8.0 policy developed by the ministry of agriculture.”

Vice-President Chiwenga emphasised that established commercial farmers should embrace the out-grower schemes and contract farming.

He said it was critical for them to share knowledge and skills with communities around them to ensure rural transformation.

The Vice-President said Government on its part would step in and invest in water infrastructure to boost production in citrus projects.

Local farmers are optimistic about the future of citrus farming in the region, citing the Government’s support and favourable weather conditions as key factors.

Orange Ville representative, Mr Brandon Park said they had invested US$30 million in their new project.

“We have assembled a processing plant, and put 700 hectares under citrus and our target is to have at least 3 000 hectares under citrus by the year 2030. At the moment, we have put a processing plant of up to 90 000 tonnes of oranges per season and we hope to increase this to 200 000 tonnes by the year 2030,” he said.

The US$30 million venture is a significant step towards value addition, beneficiation, and rural industrialisation in the region.

The project is the second of its kind in Beitbridge, following the Schweppes juice plant nearby which has a capacity to process at least 40 000 tonnes of citrus fruits per season.

The plant began operations early this July and currently crushes between 500 and 600 tonnes of fruit per day, with a total of 25 000 tonnes of oranges and 5 000 tonnes of grapefruit crushed to date.

“The company currently employs 290 workers, including 90 factory workers and 200 farm workers. Over the next 10 years, the project is projected to create 1 500 to 3 000 jobs, depending on the use of mechanical harvesting methods,” said Mr Park.

“The primary target markets are local supermarkets, restaurants, and hotels, along with regional markets in South Africa and Botswana. The plant aims to capitalise on the increasing demand for local, high-quality orange juice, which can compete with currently imported products.”

Nottingham Estate General Manager Mr Mark Elliot said they had invested in two dams with a carrying capacity of 800 million cubic metres of water and a 5 megawatt solar plant to boost production.

He said they were also working on expanding their hectares from 950 to 1 500 in line with their future development plans.

At the moment, Nottingham Estate employs 550 people, with the bulk of workers from Beitbridge. The number peaks to nearly 1 300 during the harvesting season in winter.

Toppick Investments, a local company, has invested in a massive citrus project with the first harvest from some of the 230 000 orange trees harvested this year.

The company has set up a highly integrated farm utilising water from one of the country’s 10 biggest water bodies, Zhovhe Dam.

“So far, we have about 230 000 planted trees covering 800 hectares and we’re expecting to plant 115 000 more of which we already purchased the propagating material from South Africa,” said Toppick Investment’s chief executive officer Mr Danisa Moyo.

The planting of the orange trees, he said, had been done in five phases which are, Phase 1 – 180 hectares planted in April 2021, Phase 2 covering 220 hectares planted in November 2021, Phase 3 covering 60 hectares and the trees planted in February 2022.

The fourth and fifth phases covering 280 hectares and 60 hectares were planted in August 2023. Lemon trees were planted on 80 hectares.

“We have planted orange trees of the Benny Valencia, Turkey, and Midnight varieties. In terms of lemons, we have the eureka species,” said Mr Moyo.

Schweppes Zimbabwe Limited said recently that it was finalising engagements with the Government with the view of setting up a 2 700 hectares’ citrus plantation project in the Zhovhe area in Beitbridge District.

The intervention is expected to increase production and value addition at the company’s Beitbridge Juice Processing Plant which has a capacity to process at least 40 000 tonnes of oranges and lemons into various by-products for the local and international markets.

Schweppes Zimbabwe spokesperson, Ms Ropafadzo Gwanetsa said the project will take off as soon as talks are concluded with the Government.

The organisation’s plant also extracts oils from the grapefruit, lemons and oranges, which it is exporting to Europe and South Africa.

The peel that remains, she said, was a good ingredient for manufacturing stock feed which has come in handy in livestock production regions.

Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Albert Nguluvhe said the completion of the 63-kilometre Zhovhe to Beitbridge water canal will go a long way in boosting agriculture development in Beitbridge, especially for commercial and canal farmers engaged in various projects including citrus production on the route of the canal.

As the industry continues to grow, Beitbridge is poised to reap the benefits of citrus farming, improving the lives of farmers and contributing to the country’s economic growth.