BY NIZBERT MOYO VICE-PRESIDENT Constantino Chiwenga has said the re-opening of the Boustead Beef — Cold Storage Company (CSC) factory would feed into the government’s ambitious livestock sector growth strategy running into 2025.
Chiwenga made the remarks during the official reopening of CSC’s Bulawayo complex, the largest meat slaughtering facility in Africa, on Thursday.
At its peak, the beef processing plant was considered the largest in Africa, and used to handle up to 150 000 tonnes of beef for local and export markets before its closure 22 years ago due to various challenges among them high level corruption.
About US$24 million has been injected towards its revival, with Chiwenga adding that the livestock sector was key to boosting food security.
“Livestock growth plan (2021-2025) is one of the five anchors of the agriculture and food system transformation strategy. It envisages growth in the livestock sub sector to US$1,9 billion by 2025, from the current US$900 million,’’ said Chiwenga.
The livestock growth plan, first announced in 2020, seeks to make Zimbabwe’s livestock sector a US$1,9 billion industry by 2023.
Government has said finances for projects under the growth plan will be raised through collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors as well as development partners.
The livestock sub-sector, one of the most important arms of the agricultural sector, contributes to the livelihoods of an estimated 70% of the country’s rural poor.
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Chiwenga also said Boustead Beef-CSC has secured US$36 million for a feedlot and grazing scheme for communal farmers.
“It (CSC) provides a competitive market for the smallholder livestock farmers, who have been suffering huge losses through middlemen and other unscrupulous buyers. Government is also committed to the opening of high value markets such as the Boustead Beef Cold Storage Company for cattle, goats, and sheep,” Chiwenga said.
“There will be evidence that this will stimulate production along the value chain nodes,.”
The United Kingdom investor, Boustead Beef, signed a multi-million deal with government in 2019 to resuscitate the CSC.
Under the deal, the UK investor is expected to inject a total of US$400 million over the next five years to revive the company.
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