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George Maponga in Masvingo

The Second Republic has completed the distribution of sugar cane plots covering 4000 hectares in Chiredzi under the Kilimanjaro Sugar Project.
This brings the total sugar cane land area under the control of beneficiaries of the land reform programme to 26 000 hectares.

Kilimanjaro is a US$40 million public-private partnership that saw Lowveld sugar producer Tongaat Huletts Zimbabwe partnering with Government and financial institutions to develop virgin land into cane fields for allocation to landless blacks in Hippo Valley.

A total of 200 beneficiaries were allocated the plots at Kilimanjaro, thereby bringing the number of indigenous farmers allocated sugar cane plots in the Lowveld to 1 400 since the inception of the land reform programme.

Permanent Secretary for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Dr Addmore Pazvakavambwa said the province is excited that more locals are venturing into cane production.

“The Kilimanjaro Sugar Project fits well into the province’s rural industrialisation drive,” he said.

The project is part of ongoing efforts to ramp up sugar output in Zimbabwe as the industry seeks to meet the installed milling capacity of the two mills at Hippo

Valley and Triangle estates.
The combined capacity of the two mills stands at 630 000 tonnes annually.