eBusiness Weekly
Business Writer
One of Zimbabwe’s biggest cooking oil producers, Cangrow Trading, has administered the Sinovac jab on over 200 workers, joining growing private sector efforts in complimenting the Government in the fight Covid-19.
The Government has done extremely well managing the first and second phases of the virus with the bulk of positive cases recovering fully, making Zimbabwe a perfect example of success against the pandemic in the region thus far.
Zimbabwe has recorded a cumulative 38 343 positive cases by May 10, 2021, including 36 208 recoveries and 1 576 deaths, while the number of people succumbing to the disease continues to decline by the day.
To date, about 529 360 people have received jabs from the first vaccines secured by the Government while 161 293 were vaccinated under the second dose, as the Government seeks total herd immunity.
Zimbabwe has so far authorised the use of four vaccines including China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines, Russia’s Sputnik V and Covaxin from India. It is targeting to inoculate at least 10 million citizens.
Cangrow Trading human resources officer Remigious Gwengwe, told this public during the vaccination programme at the company’s Norton premises that the efforts were part of efforts to protect their employees.
He also said the programme was in line with Government policy and calls for private sector involvement in the successful fight thus far against the deadly pandemic, which has infected and killed millions globally.
“The vaccination is in line with the company’s policy as well as the Government requirements for communities to be vaccinated. We are being supported by Norton Hospital and they have sent their trained medical staff to administer the jabs.
“They have also helped us by encouraging every member of our staff to be vaccinated and as the Cangrow family we encourage every citizen of this country to be vaccinated to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and ensure our country is free from the pandemic,” he said.
Gwengwe expressed gratitude that since the first positive cases were detected in the country last year, none of the company’s employees had contracted the virus, which prevented any disruptions to the firm’s operations.
Cangrow Trading has one of the biggest oil processing plants in the country, which is situated in Norton near Harare, with potential to produce half the country’s requirements for edible oils, according to director Ankit Jain.
As one of the biggest producers of cooking oil in Zimbabwe, which makes the Raha and Cookmore brands, Cangrow Trading has been the single biggest beneficiary of the foreign currency auction system.
Individually, it has received more than US$10 million to date, which has been used for enhancing plant capacity and importing key raw materials required in the production of cooking oil, a key basic commodity.
