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Tawanda Mangoma in Chiredzi
The country’s biggest ethanol producer, Green Fuel Zimbabwe, has reportedly roped in Lowveld sugar producer Tongaat Hulett to mill some of its sugarcane after its processing plant was overwhelmed by a bumper crop. Green Fuel’s plantations in Chisumbanje straddle over 10 000 hectares.

The firm has reportedly reached a deal for Tongaat to harvest and process 1 200ha of sugarcane into sugar at its Triangle and Hippo Valley mills. There were fears that Green Fuel might have incurred losses as it lacked the capacity to mill all its sugarcane due to the bumper crop. Tongaat has since started despatching cane harvesting and haulage equipment to Arda Chipangayi in Chipinge district.

Chipinge South legislator Cde Enock Porusingazi on Tuesday said Green Fuel ethanol processing plant was overwhelmed following a bumper cane output recorded this year.

“Rating (Green Fuel) noted with great concern that they have reduced capacity to harvest and process all the crop from their cane plantations this season, hence the decision to have nearly 1 200ha of cane harvested for processing into sugar and ethanol at Tongaat’s mills in Chiredzi,” he said.

Cde Porusingazi said if the two firms had failed to strike a deal, Green Fuel was likely to incur losses as the company was going to carry over the unharvested cane to next season. Tongaat is reportedly trying to speed up the harvesting and milling of the Green Fuel cane ahead of the annual shutdown of its two mills in 18 days.

There are also fears rains might disrupt harvesting and transportation of the sugarcane from Chipinge to Chiredzi. From Monday this week, Tongaat has been despatching cane cutters, tractors with perry-loaders and cranes to Chipinge in preparation of the transportation of the cane for milling.

Private transporters have already been engaged to move the cane from Chisumbanje for milling at Tongaat mills before the annual shutdown. One of the transporters, Mr Wellington Mudzimiri, said they hoped the deal between Tongaat and Green Fuel would continue into the future. Mr Mudzimiri projects that 2 000 loads of cane will be moved from Chisumbanje to Chiredzi in the next 18 days.

“As for us transporters, we are very excited by this opportunity to ferry cane from Middle Sabi to Triangle and Hippo Valley. It means brisk business for us,” he said. The transporters appealed to Government through Zinara to rehabilitate the battered Tanganda-Chiredzi Highway, which they use to ferry cane from Chisumbanje to Chiredzi.

Most transporters in Chiredzi were already focusing on the next cane milling season after hauling all the sugarcane from Mkwasine Estates for milling at Triangle and Hippo Valley.