Zimpapers Logo

George Maponga in Masvingo
Masvingo’s potentially lucrative beef industry continues to attract international investors with a top Italian firm showing interest in a commercial beef production venture.

If successful, the project is expected to create hundreds of jobs and grow the province’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The province has been in the process of identifying quick wins and low hanging fruits in the agriculture and mining sectors in line with Government’s thrust to transform the country into an upper middle income economy by 2030.

Masvingo is arguably the country’s biggest source of beef with the province boasting of the largest cattle herd in Zimbabwe. This is what prompted Crimonini Group of Companies to send its representative to carry out a feasibility study for commercial beef production.

The delegation led by group’s advisor Mr Paolo Pesico recently toured Chiredzi, Mwenezi and Masvingo Cold Storage Company’s mothballed plant in the city’s industrial area.

The Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs Cde Ezra Chadzamira said Crimonini had expressed satisfaction with the equipment at CSC Masvingo.

“The Italian company is one of the biggest beef exporters in Europe and it dispatched its representatives to Masvingo where they are keen to invest,” he said.

“We took the delegation to Mwenezi and Chiredzi for a tour because the two districts are the biggest beef producers in the province. The largest population of our cattle is found there. Crimonini was also impressed with the state of the art equipment at CSC.”

Minister Chadzamira said the Crimonini investment deal will entail the Italian firm supporting thousands of outgrower cattle farmers

“The cattle outgrowers will supply cattle for slaughter and we are very excited about that development. We now await to hear from them after full feasibility studies.”

According to Minister Chadzamira, Masvingo could leverage on its high cattle population to be a beef export hub earning the country millions in hard currency annually.

Besides Crimonini, Lowveld sugar producer, Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe has already expressed interest in investing in the province’s potentially lucrative beef industry.

Tongaat chief executive Mr Gavin Hudson recently revealed that the firm had capacity to feed 25 000 herd of cattle using its feed stock in Chiredzi.