eBusiness Weekly
Martin Kadzere
Northern Farming, a leading agricultural company, has partnered state-owned Agriculture and Rural Development Authority to invest $30 million in developing macadamia and avocado plantations in Zimbabwe’s Eastern Highlands.
Northern Farming is owned by Rift Valley — also a shareholder in Border Timbers. It also has various agriculture operations across many countries in sub Saharan Africa.
Under the partnership, a plantation of 300 hectares of macadamia will be developed at the vast Katiyo Tea Estates owned by ARDA and a further 200 ha of avocado, chairman of ARDA Basil Nyabadza told Business Weekly.
“The confidence ushered in by the new dispensation has enabled us to attract long term investment needed to develop the plantations,” Mr Nyabadza said.
“The commodities are for dedicated export markets and we believe they offer better returns.”
Northern Farming is already into a partnership with ARDA where they are producing wheat, maize and soya beans at Balo Estate in Silobela in central Zimbabwe. Since dollarisation, ARDA has attracted investments of nearly $700 million in the form of public-public private partnerships (PPPs).
Mr Nyabadza said tea prices have not been performing well on the global markets, making macadamia and avocado “super substitutes.”
In partnership with Eastern Highlands Ltd, ARDA is running a 200ha of tea at Katiyo, one of its household estates.
“The plantations are long term investment but we expect good returns,” Nyabadza said.
Nuts, nuts and nuts
At Balo Estates, nearly Bulawayo, ARDA has also identified a partner to develop pecan nut plantation. Nyabadza said ARDA had secured a partner to plant 80 000 tress on a 250 hectare farm. ARDA would also establish another plantation in Matabeleland North.
“Its diversification . . . from our traditional crops,” said Mr Nyabadza.
Tea, coffee waning dominance
The growth in production of macadamia and avocado production have also dented prospects of revitalisation of coffee industry with farmers and corporates now preferring production the high value commodities.
Recently, Agriculture deputy minister Davison Marapira told Business Weekly that farmers–both small scale and commercial were turning to more profitable commodities like macadamia and avocado as a result of unfavourable global coffee prices.
“The attention has shifted. People and companies are now focusing on macadamia and avocado and huge plantations are being developed,” said Mr Marapira.
Northern Farming is a contract-farming company in Zimbabwe that provides inputs, working capital, agronomy and market linkage to selected large and small-scale farmers. The company is one of Zimbabwe’s largest suppliers of locally produced maize, soya beans and wheat.
Since its inception in 2009, the company has expanded its hectarage from 2 200ha to 12 800ha. Currently, Northern Farming’s contractors produce in excess of 120 000 tonnes of crops.
