HARARE – Zimbabwe’s industrialisation drive has received a major boost after the country’s largest food manufacturer; National Foods injected four million United States dollars into a new cereal plant which will be commissioned next year.
The setting up of the new cereal plant and expansion project by the food processing firm is in line with the National Development Strategy One as the country’s industrialisation drive gathers momentum.
“National Foods has been on the drive to be part of the country’s industrialization drive, within the next six months we would have expanded our plant by a further US4 million and produce a wide range of cereal breakfast products such as oats and cornflakes,” National Foods Cereals Business Unit Head William Kapfupi said.
The plant expansion is also in line with Zimbabwe’s quest to have locally manufactured products in local supermarkets.
“These are the products which are normally imported and we want to substitute them with local products made from local raw materials supporting the local value chain, supporting the local agriculture and cutting on imports. We are supporting vision 2030 in the process making affordable products which are readily available for the local market. The new line will produce 20 to 30 tonnes of breakfast cereals every day.”
The capital injection by the company augurs well with the country’s vision of an upper middle-income society by 2030, which can only be realised through rapid industrialisation, value addition and beneficiation. – ZBC
