‘We have capacity to finance local soya bean out grower schemes’

COOKING oil manufacturer Surface Wilmar says it has the capacity to finance local soya bean out-grower schemes to bolster production of the crop locally and cut reliance on imports for crude oil.

Zimbabwe, which produces less than 50 000 tonnes of soya beans a year, against a demand estimated at between 400 000 to 600 000 tonnes, imports most of its crude oil requirements.

Surface Wilmar executive chairman Narottan Somani told delegates at the tour of the company’s Chitungwiza plant on Tuesday, that locally produced soya beans and cotton seed only covers a month’s production.

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