Business Reporter
Sino Zimbabwe is set to increase its ginning and milling capacity by 17 percent following the purchase of additional equipment.
Sino Zim purchased new springreels and weavings for the plant with the idea of increasing the current capacity of 25 000 tonnes of cotton seed and beneficiation by 17 percent.
The company plans to increase cotton seed and lint output to 35 000 metric tonnes at the $17 million plant commissioned by President Robert Mugabe in December last year.

In an interview with the Herald Business, Sino Zim Cotton Holdings chief operating officer Mr Thomas Meke confirmed the company’s intentions to install new equipment to increase capacity and beneficiation.

“We are bringing in new equipment at the plant because we are optimistic of achieving good results at the end of the current selling season.
“We expect the initiative to increase capacity of our cotton seed production. Installation is in progress right now,” said Mr Meke.
Mr Meke could not disclose the cost of purchasing the new equipment.

The company has lined up projects at the milling and spinning plant to support value addition and beneficiation in the cotton industry in support of the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation, economic blueprint.

The plant’s spinning division is promoting value addition through production of high quality yarn for both domestic and international markets in Africa, Asia and Europe.

‘‘The company’s primary objective is to promote cotton production and ensuring farmers have equal and free access to high quality inputs at viable and sustainable prices. Since our inception in 2009, we have made great strides in penetrating the once monopolised market and established an ever growing niche since then,” said Mr Meke.

“We are looking at starting our next stage of value addition but this would be done on a small scale.”
The company is looking at doubling its 30 000 spinners capacity depending on the supply of cotton in the country.

Mr Meke said the company is confident of positive results despite the prevailing challenges of side marketing being done by some of the farmers contracted to the company.

He said companies who did not take part in providing inputs to farmers are now at the forefront of dictating prices creating an uneven playing field.
“Most companies who did not provide inputs are hiking prices and this is becoming a challenge to our buying power considering that these companies do not consider input costs in their pricing,” said Mr Meke.

The company was established in May 2010 as a joint venture company between Zimbabwe and China and is boasting of  a farmer database of over 20 000 annually on a combined contract of 100 000 hectares.

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