eBusiness Weekly
Kudakwashe Mhundwa
Public Private Partnership framework implemented by the Agriculture and Rural development Authority (ARDA) has started paying dividends as the organisation has managed to revive operations in all its 21 estates countrywide, according to board chairman Basil Nyabadza.
ARDA has estates in all the country`s 10 provinces that cover plantations, cereals, livestock, wild life, horticulture and small grains.
Speaking during a tour of ARDA`s Muzarabani estates in Mashonaland central on Monday, Nyabadza said while the estates are already operational, the parastatal is looking at inviting additional capital to expand livestock and cereal production.
“We have revived operations on all 21 of our estate countrywide. ARDA estates cover plantations, cereals, Livestock, wild life, horticulture and small grains and seeds under ARDA seeds.
“ARDA deployed the public private partnerships scheme and we embraced that business model. We managed to locate investors from domestic, regional and global positions.
Milling Business Venture
“This time ARDA under phase two is to expand activities in other words inviting additional capital under a PPP business model to expand livestock, plantations and cereal production, but we are saying lets value add.
‘‘We have started with ARDA Antelope in Matopo district Matebeleland South to say lets grow maize and process that maize on site and send meali-meal to Bulawayo,” said Nyabadza
According to Nyabadza, the authority will start its Matopo milling project in the second half of the year as major works on the project have already been completed.
“In terms of the Matopo milling project the structure of the building is up the actual mill is up we were waiting for the connectivity of the electricity, I believe its underway now so certainly I believe that possibly in July, August we should open the mill for processing and we are also looking at opening a mill in each province in Zimbabwe.” He said.
Ethanol Project Performing According to plan
Nyabadza also highlighted that the authority`s Chisumbanje estate is performing well above board with the estate managing to produce about 20 percent of ethanol being used in the country.
“Chisumbanje estate is responsible for production and processing of ethanol for petrol blending on sight, even Zimra is on site so at least for seven months in this country we produce 20 percent of ethanol from Chisumbanje.
“Last year we produced 56 million/ litres of petrol and this year we are budgeting to produce 95 million/litters of petrol. What is holding us back are a number of things including water ,we need to construct additional new dams and when we do that we can go to E30 In other words we can produce well over 200 million litres of ethanol for the country,” he said.
US$1.1m for Muzarabani
On its Muzarabani estate ARDA partnered the Drummond group of companies which injected an excess of USD1,1 million for the rehabilitation of the estate with the aim of beginning production.
Drummond Group Chief Executive Officer Ken Drummond, said the group is already utilising about 350 hectors (ha) of the available 550 ha on the scheme and are still looking at opening up the remaining quarter to enhance production.
“In the first 12 months we spent USD1,1 of our own finance to get the scheme rehabilitated so that we could start production. It is a 550 ha scheme, 350 ha is open and developed we have go 200 left am hoping that by the end of the year we will be able to say 550 ha is done.
“At the point of completion we will be looking at ARDA to open up the additional 400 ha that they have which has never been developed and is expected to take the scheme to 950 ha scheme.
“When you have 950 ha of full on irrigation with this kind of climate and these soils and this proximity to an international airport and tar road the whole way Muzarabani will became a significant anchor for out growers to benefit from,” said Drummond
In terms of output the estates in 2017 ripped 20 ha of potatoes, 30 ha of cherry paper, 25 ha tomatoes, 75 ha of soya beans, 26 ha of maize, they also out a lot under infrastructure rehabilitation, they put 300 ha under irrigation.
This planting season the group has planted 75ha of soya beans, 80 ha of cotton while they are currently conducting land preparations for tomatoes and papers.
