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Conrad Mupesa Mashonaland West Bureau
Kadoma Textiles has appealed to Government for assistance to acquire new machinery and enough cotton for its plant as it seeks to increase production from 350 000 metres of cloth a month to 500 000.
The company which employees about 800 full time employees, is exporting 70 000 metres of cloth to South Africa, which is its main export destination.

Kadoma Textiles managing director Mr James Dorward told Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Sekai Nzenza during her tour of the factory last week that there was need for local companies to get priority in terms allocation of cotton.

“It has been difficult to achieve full capacity over the last four years due to obvious constraints like droughts but a large proportion of Zimbabwe’s cotton is exported and we feel the local industry should be capacitated first before the cotton is exported,” he said.

“We also require from the Ministry of Finance to secure a better mechanism of finance for the volumes of cotton we require to be met.”

Mr Dorward also said there was need to replace some of their machinery, which was now old.
Dr Nzenza promised to look into the issues raised by Mr Dorward.

“There is a need to improve synergies between private players and government ministries in the textile industry to increase production. One concern I have noticed after touring this factory is that, although it is producing textiles from cotton grown in this area a lot of our cotton is being exported to generate foreign currency,” she said.

“But going forward, my ministry will be working very closely with the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture under the agriculture recovery plan and the local content strategy. We are coming together to create synergy between agriculture and industry so that we promote the whole value chain and look at our policy regarding how much cotton we are producing and exporting.

“As Government we want to see how we can create employment and promote growth. We are also looking at how we can promote technology to improve production in textile production.”

Dr Nzenza said there was need for the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Ministry Agriculture, Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Finance to work together for Kadoma Textiles to stay afloat and continue performing.

“We envisage growth in the relationship between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the private sector. This will end up creating more employment, increase production and a reduction in our import bill.”

She said there was a need for the Ministry of Finance to assist the company in acquiring new machinery for its two plants.

She challenged tertiary institutions to assist the company and the industry through developing appropriate technology.