Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Walter Nyamukondiwa in CHEGUTU

The pieces to Government’s cotton value addition and beneficiation puzzle are neatly falling into place following Agri-Value Chain (AVC) injection of US$18 million targeting farming, retooling and operationalisation of ginning and spinning of lint plants, extraction and refinery of edible oils in Chegutu and Kadoma.

The first phase will see the David Whitehead fabric processing plant, which is now almost ready for commissioning, producing at least 10 million metres of finished fabric every year.

Through Government’s interlaced policy interventions, including opening up the country for investment, engagement and reengagement, promotion of private sector led economic development, AVC has occupied the once moribund cotton industry value chain.

The cocktail of measures has seen the resuscitation of David Whitehead Textile fabric processing plant in Chegutu giving its derelict equipment and the general clothing and textile industry a new lease of life.

Already the bulk of the equipment for factories in Chegutu and Kadoma which will see the Kadoma Spinning Plant running at full throttle and completion of the David Whitehead fabric processing plant in Chegutu is in the country.

Some of it is already at sea on its way to Zimbabwe with everything expected to be in place by end of September.

Part of the contingent of expatriate specialists who are expected to facilitate initial operationalisation of the plants and skills transfer is already in the country with more expected during the course of the year.

The company now employs about 1 100 workers at its Chegutu and Kadoma plants which swells during the seasonal ginning period.

More are engaged as out-growers for cotton and sunflowers, initially covering 52 000ha but that has since doubled to 110 000ha to feed the extraction and refining plants which has catapulted the country towards edible oils sufficiency through its Zimgold Blend Cooking Oil brand.

AVC chairman Mr Pradyum Kumar Ganediwal said tooling and upgrading to the Kadoma and Chegutu plants was in progress with some of the equipment in transit.

“So far we have received about 40 containers and in total we will be receiving more than 200 containers,” said Mr Ganediwal.

“As we speak, another 65 containers are on the high seas and the rest are under shipment. We expect that by end of August or early September we should be receiving all the consignments. As we receive them, we are also starting installation.”

He said the purpose of the project was to promote import substitution as the country was producing cotton, exporting lint and importing fabric when it could complete the process locally.

Zimbabwe needs at least 50 million metres of fabric per year and AVC seeks to contribute towards meeting local demand.

AVC equipment includes the solvent extraction plant, edible oils refinery, crude palm oil fractionation plants that can express a variety of seeds, including cotton, soya and sunflower, among others

The company has set up an oil refinery in Chegutu which will be operational in the next two weeks to add another piece to the value addition and beneficiation of the cotton and seed farming sector.

The Chegutu factory was acquired from Cargill Zimbabwe in 2017 and moves from traditional cotton ginning to full beneficiation of cotton.

Its refinery plant will process extracted oil from crude oil to refined oil that will be ready for bottling and packaging.

It has capacity to supply crude oil to other companies in the country.

Speaking during a tour of AVC extraction and refinery plants and David Whitehead fabric processing plant, Minister for Presidential Affairs and Monitoring, Implementation of Government Projects Joram Gumbo said the country’s cotton industry had registered solid growth since the coming in of the Second Republic.

“It is regrettable that, despite the solid growth that our cotton industry has experienced in recent years, the country still lacks the capacity and skills within the value chain to take full advantage of local beneficiation,” said Minister Gumbo.

“It is against this background that we welcome the implementation of the Chegutu Factory Processing Plant Expansion Project as part of efforts to develop the cotton value chain.”

The development, he said, dovetails with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) fundamentals, pinning structural transformation on value addition and beneficiation of agricultural products.

It also pushes for decentralised industrialization in resource endowed regions and strengthening of existing value chains.

Mashonaland West provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Mary Mliswa-Chikoka welcomed the development saying it would help boost the province’s Gross Domestic Product.

Health Reporter

Officials in Harare have warned that most boreholes and wells in the capital could be contaminated with coliform and E.coli making the most widely used sources of water unsafe in the face of the current cholera outbreak which has so far claimed five lives.

To date, 620 suspected cholera cases have been reported in nine provinces of the country since the beginning of the year, of which 132 were confirmed cases.

The country has also recorded 14 suspected deaths.

According to the Ministry of health and Child Care daily situation report, by Tuesday, 26 suspected cases had been reported in Harare and seven were confirmed in Budiriro, Glen View and Mt Pleasant.

Harare City epidemiology and disease control officer Dr Michael Vere said water being provided by council was safe as it had adequate residual chlorine.

“Boreholes in Harare are contaminated with coliform and E.coli, therefore water from some boreholes is not safe for drinking. Shallow wells are even less safe. All wells have been found to be contaminated from the tests done in the affected areas,” he said.

Coliform bacteria serve as critical indicators of water quality. More precisely, they are evidence of recent faecal contamination of water supplies. Coliform bacteria themselves do not usually cause illness in humans, but their detection in water supplies indicate the possibility of contamination with disease-causing organisms, many of which also occur in human waste.

E.coli can cause symptoms including diarrhoea, stomach pain and cramps and low-grade fever. Some E. coli infections can be dangerous.

Zimbabwe last had a cholera outbreak in 2018 but areas like Glen View, Budiriro, Glen Norah and Mbare are hotspot areas.

Despite being easily treatable, cholera remains a global threat due to its high morbidity and mortality in vulnerable populations with a lack of access to adequate sanitation and health care.

Dr Vere said to mitigate the clean water shortages in these areas, the local authority had designated water bowsers to provide safe water inline chlorinators were being installed on available boreholes. Point of use treatment tablets were also being provided.

The City is also set to roll out a cholera vaccination programme targeting hotspot areas.

The modalities of the programme were yet to be made available but according to Dr Vere, application for the vaccine is underway.

Nqobile Tshili

Bulawayo Bureau

THE Presidential Fishing Rigs that were allocated to the Binga community last year have created employment for locals, improved food security and provided a source of livelihood for beneficiaries.

In April 2022, President Mnangagwa donated 17 fishing rigs to chiefs in Binga, women and youths as part of Government’s empowerment initiatives

The Second Republic is on a drive to uplift rural communities with particular attention being given to Binga which historically lagged behind in terms of development.

Government is utilising local resources to transform rural communities and in Binga fish farming is a low hanging fruit in realising the country’s rural industrialisation agenda. Plans are on course to shift from subsistence to commercial fish farming which will see the establishment of canning factories in the previously forgotten Binga district.

To achieve this, Government is set to build cold rooms within fishing areas so that fishermen realise the real value of their labour. A tender has since been awarded to a company that is going to install the cold rooms this year.

The development will be a departure from what is obtaining at the moment where most of the fish are disposed of at a give away price.

A Chronicle news crew last year visited Binga district and community members spoke about the impact of President Mnangagwa’s donated fishing rigs.

They commended President Mnangagwa for providing them with fishing rigs which are positively transforming their community.

The news crew observed some fishermen operating fishing rigs in Simatelele village. Chief Siachilaba said they are already realising profits from the presidential programme. “We have managed to start fishing and I’m happy to say we were able to pay examination fees for our children who are sitting for public examinations this year,” said Chief Siachilaba.

“The reason why Government gave us the boats was to uplift our lives. I have been able to employ young men from this area who are also benefiting from this rig.

“They are able to pay school fees for their children and the money they get also assists them in their daily lives.”

He said plans to industrialise Binga through fish and kapenta farming is important as that speaks to using local resources for development.

“Fish are very sensitive so people would just make any offer and we would quickly sell as we would be knowing that the longer we keep them; they lose value. Hence, we are happy with the plans to set up a cold room which means we won’t just be disposing of our fish but getting real value for them,” he added.

Chief Siachilaba commended President Mnangagwa’s Second Republic for zeroing in on Binga in terms of development projects saying this inclusive development approach makes everyone feel part of Zimbabwe.

Chief Saba who also benefited from the Presidential Fishing Rig programme said the fishing rigs are going to lift the community from poverty.

“These fishing rigs are not just benefiting us as chiefs in this area. We have vulnerable members of the public such as orphans, child headed families and elderly we have always been looking after.

Hence, these rigs have empowered us to take care of them through the proceeds we get from kapenta farming we have just started doing.

We have also employed others to work here so this programme is cushioning the communities from various shocks,” said Chief Saba.

He said there is need to fully capacitate traditional leaders as Government promised as they are a conduit for rural development.

The news crew also visited Simatelele where the chiefs’ boats operate from.

Those who operate the fishing rigs expressed optimism over the prospects of kapenta farming.

Mr Jayani Mudimba said he previously depended on unreliable menial jobs to provide for his family but working under Chief Siachilaba’s fishing programme is proving sustainable for him.

“We have been working here for three and half months. We are now able to provide for our families as well as pay school fees, something that we were struggling to do before we started working here,” said Mr Mudimba.

Binga District Development Coordinator Mr Land Kabome Siansole said Government was working towards addressing hiccups that have resulted in delays in allocating all the resources needed for the fishing programme.

“The chiefs were given the fishing rigs and they are happy and they are into fishing now. Of course we have some challenges in terms of fuel, in terms of the salt and Government in due course is going to address that because it is part of the package that was provided to chiefs.

We are saying for a start Government is going to provide fuel and salt for three months as part of the empowerment programme for the chiefs,” said Mr Siansole.

He said Government made a deliberate position to equip Binga chiefs with fishing rigs as they did not benefit from the land reform programme for them to be productive and help their subjects.

Mr Siansole said fish and kapenta farming will spur Binga’s rural industrialisation.

He said Government was working towards commercialising fish farming in Binga and this entails installation of cold rooms.

“The Government is thinking of expanding that by building cold rooms in Mlibizi, Simatelele, Chubuyu which are the main areas where fish trading takes place. This will do away with the prevailing situation where these fishermen are at the mercy of unscrupulous dealers,” he said.

“Instead of aiming to dispose they will just store them and seek for a better market or when they reach a tonnage they will supply certain hotels such as Elephant Hills in Victoria Falls and so forth.

“But now they cannot supply those big lodges and hotels because of small quantities and when we have all those big cold rooms they will be able to supply them.”

Mr Siansole said a tender has been awarded to a company that is going to install the cold rooms this year.

“The fishermen within that package will be given some canoes. We are on a rural industrialisation drive and it is our wish that we actually create industries like fish canning. We cannot put that industry if we rely on these erratic supplies,” he said.

“If we have organised supply, there is also going to be package of these fishing ponds. We have actually identified places along the lake so that there will be some fishing ponds which will complement what would be extracted from the lake.”

Mr Siansole said his office has engaged the community to sensitise them on the rural industrialisation thrust meant to uplift them.

Business Reporter

Zimbabwean businesses are set to tap into export opportunities available in China as the Second Republic strengthens trade ties between Harare and Beijing.

Local businesses will engage with potential business partners in China during the Zimbabwe-Business Forum, scheduled for May 30 – June 1 2023, which has been organised by the national trade development and promotion agency, ZimTrade, to improve the visibility of Zimbabwean products in the Asian market.

This is in line with the economic diplomacy being championed by President Mnangagwa who has been at the forefront of championing the “Zimbabwe is Open for Business” mantra.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ambassador Frederick Shava, said the programme complements ongoing engagement and re-engagement efforts by President Mnangagwa’s administration.

“The President has been clear that we need to establish viable networks that will ensure Zimbabwean products find a place in existing and new markets.

“We are expecting, therefore, to see improved exports of our value-added products into China through the business links that will be established at the business forum,” he said.  

Minister Shava also urged local businesses to take full advantage of the business forum to establish networks that will grow their exports into the market.

“We have witnessed an increase in Zimbabwe’s exports to China over the past few years, indicating more local products could find a market in the Asian country.

“The Zimbabwe-China Business Forum as a platform has been created to further the interests of the private sector so that they tap into vast opportunities available in China.  

“What is important is for local industry to leverage on this opportunity to create partnerships that will help drive their exports into China and its neighbouring countries that are currently difficult to reach,” Minister Shava said.

Minister Shava called on the business community to grab opportunities that are being facilitated by the government through its policy of affirmation, engagement, and re-engagement to increase their exports to China, and other emerging markets being opened such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Rwanda, and Belarus.

The Zimbabwe-China Business Forum will draw participants from Zimbabwean and Chinese governments, and industry players in sectors such as mining, energy, manufacturing, leather, technology, agriculture, processed foods, clothing and textile, packaging, building and construction, and engineering services.

It will also be attended by Chinese businesspeople seeking to do business with Zimbabwe and these include importers and distributors of goods and services in China, exporters of industrial machinery and technology, safari operators, project financiers, project managers, infrastructure development companies, and renewable energy suppliers.

China presents various opportunities for local businesses seeking to export value-added products and services.

Some of the low-hanging fruits for local companies include horticulture, processed foods, leather and leather products, and services.  

For example, Zimbabwe’s good climate favours the production of top-quality products that can perform well in the Chinese market.

When one looks at China’s import structure of citrus fruits, the opportunities for Zimbabwean producers are huge.

Trade statistics for 2021, show that China imported fresh and dried citrus fruits worth around US$532 million and most of it were grapefruit, mandarins including tangerines and satsumas, wilkens and similar citrus hybrids.

Other horticultural produce with potential includes berries, stone fruits, and nuts.

Further to horticulture, there are huge opportunities to supply essential oils to China.

According to Trade Map, Zimbabwe has seen an expansion of its import bill of essential oils and resinoids; perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations from US$7, 63 billion in 2017, to US$24,12 billion in 2021.

This growth has largely been anchored on imports of beauty or make-up preparations for skin care, whose import value grew from US$5,8 billion in 2017 to US$20,3 billion in 2021.

The growth of essential oils imports in China provides opportunities for Zimbabwean exporters to increase essential oils exports which are currently minimal.

Essential oils used in aromatherapy such as rosemary, peppermint and sweet orange oils are some products that local farmers and businesses could consider for exporting to China.

With abundant natural resources such as indigenous fruits and spices, value addition is another way for local producers to earn more on the Chinese market.

Wild plants such as baobab, marula, moringa seeds and mongongo nuts provide excellent opportunities to tap into the essential oil market in China.

Fungi Kwaramba

Political Editor

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa leaves the country today to attend the coronation of King Charles III at a ceremony set to be attended by other world leaders, royals and celebrities in London, the United Kingdom.

In one of the major successes of the Second Republic’s engagement and re-engagement pillar foreign policy drive, President Mnangagwa was formally invited to witness the coronation of King Charles III at a ceremony that will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday.

This re-engagement drive is part of a battery of policies that the Second Republic is implementing to ensure Zimbabwe achieves its vision to become an upper-middle-class economy by 2030 through increased investment.

Addressing members of the Zanu PF Youth League at the party headquarters in Harare yesterday, President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe is making headway through its engagement and re-engagement policy.

“Tomorrow I will be going to King Charles’ coronation. So I asked why when they have put sanctions on us and they (UK Government) said we have removed them please attend.”

The President will be among leaders from across Africa and the world for the coronation that will be attended by 2 000 people at Westminster Abbey (Anglican church in central London).

Defying the negative tag wrought by Western-imposed sanctions, ironically at the instigation of Britain, President Mnangagwa has made a breakthrough in diplomatic relations with the formerly hostile Western capitals.

Diplomat and Zanu PF spokesperson Ambassador Chris Mutsvangwa yesterday said the invitation shows Zimbabwe’s return to the comity of nations.

“The coronation visit by President Mnangagwa is yet another feather in the hat of wholesome acceptability as we shed off the skin of pariah status. We heartily welcome our return to the global diplomatic stage with all the attendant pomp and circumstance. We are happy that the wise policies of engagement and re-engagement, friend to all and enemy to none are giving issue to enjoyable bonhomie with all nations and their peoples,” he said.

Ambassador Mutsvangwa dismissed attempts by some hired hands to demonstrate against the visit by President Mnangagwa.

“President Mnangagwa is going to the coronation of King Charles, the new British Royalty that has a special history with the independent and sovereign Zimbabwe. Forty-three years ago, the then Prince Charles lowered the Union Jack at Rufaro Stadium as we raised the victorious Zimbabwe flag.

“It is an act of shame for Zimbabwean foreigners in the UK to attempt to take part in vain and frivolous and self-centred shenanigans. For the record, HE President Mnangagwa is visiting as an invited guest of His Majesty’s Government. It’s definitely not at the volition of the Government of Zimbabwe.  Basic good manners demand that you do not embarrass your host refugee nation as it extends its courtesies to who and whomever it wishes to engage with. Shame and scorn to those who abuse this basic tenet of human etiquette,” said Ambassador Mutsvangwa.

In an interview, academic and Government critic, Dr Alexander Rusero, said the invitation of the President to the UK is the crowning moment for the Second Republic’s re-engagement efforts.

“The invite attests to the efficacy of Zimbabwe’s foreign policy under President Mnangagwa. Whereas Zim-Anglo relations have been characterised by frostiness since 1997 when the Tony Blair-led government came to power, the diplomatic iceberg is slowly thawing and shifting towards cordiality of the erstwhile glory days. You can’t pretend something is not happening. Thus, broadly speaking, Zimbabwe’s diplomatic charm is bearing fruit,” said Dr Rusero.

Another analyst Mr Regai Cheuka said the invitation extended to President Mnangagwa by Britain is evidence enough that Zimbabwe’s re-engagement policy has reached fruition.

“An expose and ex-ante analysis of the Second Republic’s foreign policy mantra of Zimbabwe is open for business is also showing that the international community is now ready to re-engage Zimbabwe,” he said.

Apart from the new diplomatic frontiers that are being opened under the visionary leadership of President Mnangagwa through re-engagement, the country has also opened new embassies, notably in Rwanda, Turkey and Belarus. All these have been reciprocated with vast economic opportunities for Zimbabwe.

Political analyst, Mr Gibson Nyikadzino, said President Mnangagwa has proved to be a reformist leader who is not stuck in the past.

“Zimbabwe’s foreign policy thrust under President Mnangagwa has moved towards a common-purpose interaction from the belligerent, acrimonious, and turbulent policy shifts by the previous administration that bordered on diplomatic hostility. In that transition, Zimbabwe has been to Commonwealth (a British-led bloc) meetings and attended the US-Africa Summit meeting last December,” he said.

“The Commonwealth has indicated Zimbabwe is making strides to be considered for readmission. The new policy is ameliorating the decades-old Zim-Britain rivalry that has been known, thus the extension of the invitation. Zimbabwe is historically, politically and economically connected to some aspects of the British system. So, this transformation and relationship is a signal of what will ultimately become of Zimbabwe-Britain relations. It is a move towards an amicable friendship and restoration of relations”.