Story by Oleen Ndori
HARARE-NATIONAL Foods Limited has commissioned three new production plants for breakfast cereals, pasta, and biscuits in a development that is set to significantly advance Zimbabwe’s value addition and import substitution agenda.
The multi-million-dollar investment, officially unveiled in Harare, is aligned with key pillars of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), particularly modernisation, industrialisation, and promotion of local content.
The new plants are expected to enhance domestic production capacity, reduce reliance on imports, and create employment opportunities across the agro-processing value chain.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Industry and Commerce Minister Honourable Mangaliso Ndlovu commended National Foods for its strategic investment, describing it as a reflection of the resilience and innovation of Zimbabwe’s private sector.
“I am delighted to join you all today here at National Foods Limited for the official commissioning of three production lines of breakfast cereals, biscuits and pasta. These expansion projects not only highlight the resilience of our local private sector but also emphasise the significant investment and innovation opportunities present within our domestic manufacturing sector. Your Excellency, today we celebrate the accomplishments of National Foods Limited while also reflecting on our broader vision for accelerating agro-industrialisation. As the current Chair of SADC, Zimbabwe has a unique opportunity to once again take the lead in the regional industrialisation agenda, intensifying our efforts to realise the objectives outlined in our NDS1,” he said.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Industry and Commerce, Honourable Clemence Chiduwa, echoed these sentiments, noting that the investments will deepen value addition, enhance foreign currency retention, and generate much-needed employment.
“This is a noble gesture by National Foods. It directly speaks to the objectives of NDS1 in terms of value addition of local maize and wheat. Producing locally ensures we retain foreign currency and create jobs. This plant is a clear example of what the Government envisions,” said.
Group Chief Executive Officer of National Foods, Mr Mike Lashbrook, said the decision to invest in local processing was driven by the upward trend in grain production and the need to support local agriculture.
“Assessing these investments, it has become clear to us that local grain production was increasing at a very encouraging rate and that our country was set on a path to become a net exporter of cereals. To us, it then became a logical step to rather process the cereals in Zimbabwe than to export raw materials. Local farmers are key partners to National Foods and we would like to acknowledge and appreciate the tremendous progress the Minister of Agriculture and his team have made in increasing local agriculture production. In support of this, National Foods has for many years acted as a guaranteed off-taker of grain from the PHIA Growth Contract Farming Scheme,” he said.
He highlighted the company’s role as a major off-taker under the PHIA Growth Contract Farming Scheme, purchasing between 80 000 and 100 000 tonnes of grain annually from contracted farmers a critical link in ensuring consistent market access for local producers.
As outlined by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, if initiatives like those undertaken by National Foods are replicated across other sectors, Zimbabwe’s journey towards attaining an upper-middle-income economy by 2030 becomes increasingly feasible with Zimbabweans themselves at the forefront of the country’s economic transformation.
