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George Maponga Masvingo Bureau
The Development Trust of Zimbabwe (DTZ) has lined up major foreign currency generating projects at Nuanetsi Ranch in Mwenezi, covering animal husbandry, sugarcane production and safari hunting that will create thousands of jobs, while making the Lowveld an ethanol production hub.

Minister of State in Vice President Mohadi’s Office, Mr Davis Marapira, yesterday said the new DTZ board has hit the ground running as it positions the entity to be export-oriented and contribute to economic development in line with Vision 2030.

He said DTZ planned to develop 100 000 hectares of sugarcane fields at Nuanetsi Ranch that will feed into the ethanol plant.

The plant will be the country’s second, making Zimbabwe a net ethanol producer, while cutting the nation’s aggregate annual fuel import bill by millions of dollars.

DTZ plans to expand its herd of breeding cattle from the current 4 000 to 20 000 and is eyeing a close relationship with the Cold Storage Company in Masvingo, as it seeks to tap into the potentially lucrative beef export market that will earn the country much-needed foreign currency.

DTZ owns 200 000ha of largely idle land at Nuanetsi Ranch.

President Mnangagwa in February this year appointed a board of trustees for DTZ chaired by Vice President Kembo Mohadi.

The Head of State also appointed board of directors for Nuanetsi Ranch Limited, which is DTZ’s major asset and flagship.

The move was tailored to revive the fortunes of DTZ and its entities, making them profitable for the benefit of Zimbabweans.

Among the key mandates of the two boards was to come up with strategic plans for turning around DTZ’s fortunes and those of its business entities.

Minister Marapira said major game changing investments in agriculture and wildlife operations were in the offing, with DTZ cementing its partnership with businessman Mr Billy Rautenbach, who has an investment relationship with the entity.

‘‘At the moment we are working with Mr Billy (Rautenbach) as our main investor in all our projects, but we may identify other investors, local or international, if there is need for additional injection of capital, but at the moment he is DTZ’s main investor,’’ he said.

Minister Marapira said the new focus by DTZ will create thousands of jobs, though he could not be drawn into revealing how much will be invested.

‘‘Figures of the anticipated investment in financial terms are still being worked out, but the goal is to make sure that there is no idle land at Nuanetsi Ranch,’’ he said.

Minister Marapira said DTZ wanted to play a leading role in growing the country’s economy by ramping up exports.

He said the crocodile-rearing project run by Zimbabwe Bio Energy at Nuanetsi would also be expanded under the growth impetus steered by the new DTZ board of trustees.

The new economic avenues at Nuanetsi Ranch come after the completion of Tugwi-Mukosi Dam in southern Chivi, which is key in supplying the much-needed water to irrigate cane fields that will support the ethanol plant.