Story by Stanley James, Business Editor
ZIMBABWE is targeting cooking oil self-sufficiency, driven by government interventions in increasing soya beans, sunflower and cotton seed production.
A tour by government officials at two of Zimbabwe’s largest cooking oil manufacturing firms this Tuesday provided an opportunity for them to assess the state of the sector.
It emerged that Zimbabwe is moving towards cooking oil self-sufficiency riding on increased investments aided by the increase in soya bean, sunflower and cotton seed production.
Data released during the tour reveals the availability of locally produced cooking oil has increased from 20 percent in 2018 to over 80 percent last year.
“The retail sector shelves ideally have what it takes in terms of telling the ideal picture of the situation. If there are so many cooking oil commodity products on the shelves that are being produced locally, then this reflects that the situation is just normal and there is more that is being done by the local producers to facilitate such growth.
“Like any other business, there are challenges but we continue to wither the storm with the key focus being on what is needed to boost overall growth off course production is on a high trajectory but we have our constraints and such a platform gives us the ideal opportunity to see what we can do and chart the way forward basically I am convinced this will yield the intended goals,” the acting chief executive officer for Surface Wilmar and Olivine Industries, Mr Sylvester Dendere.
While concern has been raised over the high costs of importing crude oil for production, the government believes increased soya bean, sunflower and cotton seed production is key to solving the challenge.
“This fact-finding mission is ideally critical as it gives us an opportunity to see what is happening on the ground it is, however, imperative to note that while there are notable gains, the need to fully utilise the land on the agricultural sector becomes of greater importance, remember the plan is all about to incentives soya beans and cotton seed farmers with a view of ensuring increased cooking oil production and overall food security,”
Players in the cooking oil production sector also resolved to continue working with the government on policies to ease the cost of doing business.
