Amarula fruit processing and value addition plant for Mwenezi
The National Biotechnology Authority of Zimbabwe (NBA) recently built an Amarula fruit processing and value addition plant at Rutenga Growth Point in Masvingo Province, with President Mnangagwa set to commission it today.
Located in the Mwenezi district, the Amarula (Shona name Mapfura) plant is expected to support rural industrialisation as it will create employment for locals, 100 directly and 30 000 indirectly. The locals will collect the fruit which is available between January and April and deliver it to the plant. This will support the national economic development and aide in achieving an upper middle income nation by 2030.
Intensifying efforts to generate growth domestically and leveraging Zimbabwe’s competitive advantages such as resource and ecological endowment as well as skills base was portrayed by this project. These are some of the NDS1’s agenda and dedicated collective efforts by all stakeholders which will see a massive economic growth
The plant will process and add value to the fruit by making wine, edible oils, stock feed and juices. These products will be consumed by both the local and foreign market.
The NBA is an autonomous research body under the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development. It has the vision to be “a hub for the development and safe application of biotechnology in all key socio-economic sectors by 2030” according to its website.
NBA’s mandate is to develop Zimbabwe through the application of both conventional and cutting-edge bio-technologies. Its role is to transform the country from a raw material-based into a knowledge–based economy through the application of biotechnology in agriculture, medicine, energy and the environment.
