A NEWLY commissioned US$30 million orange fruit juice plant has begun operations in Beitbridge, creating over 300 jobs and processing up to 600 tonnes of fruit daily, marking a significant milestone in the national drive towards rural industrialisation.
The Orange Ville plant, which commenced operations in July, is currently running at partial capacity but has already processed substantial volumes of citrus.
“Operations on the plant started in early July this year. Currently, we can crush 500 – 600 tons of fruit per day, and to date, we have crushed 25,000 tons of oranges and 5,000 tons of grapefruit,” said Brandon Park, a representative of Orange Ville Trading (Pvt) Ltd.
He added that the plant’s installed capacity is 1 400 tonnes per day, a target the company expects to reach in about ten years as plantations mature.
The facility aims to create over 3,000 positions when operating at full capacity, a milestone for rural industrialisation in Matabeleland South Province.
“We are impressed by this plant; it speaks to the industrialisation drive being pursued by the Second Republic. This has created employment opportunities for our people,” said Hon Albert Nguluvhe, Matabeleland South Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution.
Nottingham Estates, located across the Umzingwane River, is also playing a key role in integrated rural development by combining commercial agriculture, eco-tourism, and renewable energy.
“We are currently farming 960 hectares, of which 650 hectares feature mature, bearing trees, and we are expanding to 1 500 hectares next year,” said Mr Andrew Nott, Managing Director of Nottingham Estates.
Following a facility tour, Vice President General (Rtd) Dr. Constantino Chiwenga commended the scale of production and announced that the government will expedite the completion of the 63-kilometre Zhovhe–Beitbridge canal to support citrus expansion.
“I am impressed by the massive production being pushed by these farmers here. This is the rural industrialisation we talk about. As a government, we are now working on expediting the establishment of the Zhovhe–Beitbridge canal so that we solve the water challenges permanently,” he said.
With an average of 70 percent of produce from the operations destined for export markets, the establishment of value addition plants in Beitbridge is expected to propel Zimbabwe toward its Vision 2030 goal of becoming an upper-middle-income economy.
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