Story by Tafara Chikumira
One of Gweru City Council’s flagship projects, Go-beer, is set to be revitalised after the local authority put over 20 hectares under winter wheat to supply the brewery with the necessary raw materials.
The US$2,3 million brewery, which is being refurbished is set to reopen its doors later this year, with the local authority pushing for the production of the major raw materials at its farm.
Currently, the city council’s farm has 23 hectares under wheat production which is set to be used as raw materials for the reopening of the brewery.
“We are utilising this land to feed into our brewery. Our main aim is to produce raw materials that will facilitate the production at Go beer. We want to increase our revenue collections as a local authority,” said Gweru City Council Mayor, Councillor Martin Chivhoko.
Government is in full support of the initiative which is expected to spur the growth of the Provincial Gross Domestic Product for the Midlands Province.
“We support this initiative, and it will go a long way in turning around fortune at the brewery. Wheat production is a key component of the Second Republic’s agriculture food systems and transformation strategy, which incorporates application of smart agronomic practices and development of agro-industries for value addition and beneficiation. The province has emerged as a key player in the production of wheat through our committed and hardworking local farmers supported by the Government and our financial institutions. I, therefore, implore all farmers to leverage on the opportunities availed by the Second Republic to increase production and productivity as we gravitate towards the attainment of an upper middle-income economy earlier than 2030,” noted Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Honourable Owen Ncube.
Upon completion of the refurbishment, the brewery plant is expected to produce 120 thousand liters of beverages in various forms per day.
