President Emmerson Mnangagwa has arrived in Mutare where he is touring and set to commission the Kiln and Veneer Plants at Wattle Company.
The President will also be touring Willowton Industries (soap and cooking oil plants) and the Mega Market (wheat milling, maize milling and rice packaging plants).
He was welcomed by Minister Sekai Nzenza who is in charge of Industry and Commerce who emphasized the value-chain approach to Zimbabwe’s Industrialization Strategy.
Upon his arrival Mnangagwa attended a briefing session, with the company’s senior management.
The company employs 2000 workers and grows wattle in Chimanimani and Chipinga. Wattle tree takes 10 years to grow and mature, making the business long term.
The company exports to South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and DRC, largely focusing on electricity poles.
The company said it is also eyeing the Chinese and Malaysian markets, and is presently accumulating stocks. Pine tree which is grown in the Juliasdale Area of Nyanga takes a good 25 years to mature.
Meanwhile,in his response, the President said he knew little about wattle trees except as he saw them on his way to Nyanga for Casinos. A company employing 2000 Zimbabweans, stressed the President, should definitely be on the President’s radar. He thanked the Company for its positive outlook in business.
From updates posted by his spokesperson, George Charamba, Mnangagwa said the Second Republic is about dialogue with the Private Sector so policies are crafted to size-fit requirements of business.
The President also said the 800 illegal settlers on Wattle Company land are not part of Land Reforms, only indiscipline, adding that a decision will have to be taken from recommendations from the Minister of State for Manicaland Province.
This means the provincial land committee must now visit the affected areas with a view to making recommendations to the President. Charamba said the President was categoric that mining in wattle estates is illegal and must stop forthwith.
He also directed Higher Education to move its research muscle towards support for the research needs of the company.
-Zwnews
