Story by Lisa Masuku-Kurira
VICE President General (Rtd) Dr Constantino Chiwenga has urged Zimbabwe’s manufacturing and food processing industries to scale up investment in locally produced food products to strengthen national food security and promote sustainable economic growth.
Speaking during a tour of National Foods in Bulawayo on Friday, which marked the end of his four-day familiarisation visit to key projects in the Matabeleland region, Dr Chiwenga said local industry must take the lead in developing homegrown solutions that enhance food production, processing, and value addition.
“We should not just aim to produce and value add. We should make our own products, like pastas. Let us use our God given resources to produce our own products and market them,” he said.
The Vice President also commended National Foods for the installation of the state-of-the-art wheat milling plant.
“The installation of this state-of-the-art machinery marks a significant milestone towards promoting the country’s industrial transformation journey. The developments that have taken place here are quite commendable,” he said.
Dr Chiwenga encouraged the company to continue to expand its products to deepen its footprint on the domestic and global front.
National Foods Limited Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Michael Lashbrook, said the company had invested over US$6 million in the new Buhler wheat mill, enabling it to strengthen its market position while supporting local wheat farmers.
“The investment is part of our broader strategy to enhance our production capacity and advance national food security goals,” Mr Lashbrook said.
The new milling plant is expected to bolster the local agricultural value chain, with farmers in the southern region benefiting from expanded procurement of locally grown wheat.
