Business Reporter
VICE President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has toured the diversified agro-industrial concern National Foods Limited (NFL) wheat milling plant in Bulawayo.
He was accompanied by Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube and National Foods Group Chief Executive Officer Mike Lashbrook and several staff members.
The tour revealed that the company has invested millions in setting up state-of-the-art processing plants to replace old mills and ramp up production in the country. A state-of-the-art US$6.5 million Buhler wheat milling plant in Bulawayo was also installed. Commissioned on 1 July 2023, the new mill has a capacity of 300 metric tonnes a day, representing a 25 percent increase in throughput compared to the previous 240 tonnes a day.
VP Chiwenga hailed the progress made so far and challenged the company to take a leading role as a partner for innovation.
“The milling plant with worldwide technology presents what can be achieved as private sector investment aligns with national development. I call upon National Foods Holdings to take a leading role not only as a processor, but as a partner in innovation
“I urge the company to actively fund and collaborate with our national research institutions, such as the Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC), to explore viable alternatives and solutions,” he said.
An additional US$2.1 million was invested in finished product packing and handling facilities, bringing the total Bulawayo Investment to US$8.6 million.
Since 2022, the company has invested about US$30 million into hi-tech plants, replacing the 72-year-old mill to ramp up production by more than 2,000 tonnes, and other plants in Harare.
The company produces human and livestock feed that has become part of every Zimbabwean household throughout the century.
National Foods operates two wheat mills, one in Harare and one in Bulawayo. The previous Bulawayo mill, a Simon model originally manufactured in 1950 and installed second-hand in 1982, had operated reliably for over four decades, milling over 1.5 million metric tonnes of wheat before its decommissioning.
