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Freedom Mutanda Chipinge Correspondent
Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba has called for dialogue between Green Fuel and villagers in Chisumbanje to defuse tensions that have been rising between the two parties in recent months.

Speaking during a tour of the Chisumbanje ethanol plant last week, Dr Gwaradzimba said the ethanol project was of great importance to the nation, hence the need for cooperation to ensure the community also benefited from the national resource.

“It is clear that the Chisumbanje ethanol project has impacted positively on the economy. Against such a background, the Government is acutely aware of the need for the local people to co-exist peacefully with the company. Therefore, there must be a win-win situation in the ongoing meetings between the company and the local leadership,’’ she  said.

She urged Green Fuel to allow the local people to work on land that it was not  using.

“It is not really necessary for there to be animosity between you. We should appreciate the fact that this is State land and in this case, there was an agreement between the Government and Green Fuel that a strategic project should start where ARDA and Green Fuel would enter into a private-public partnership for the benefit of the whole nation,’’ she emphasised.

Green Fuel has been involved in several corporate social responsibility programmes in the community including donating asbestos to schools affected by a severe storm in the area, coming up with a scholarship scheme in several schools to assist underprivileged students who excel in their  studies.

Dr Gwaradzimba said Green Fuel was strategic in reducing the country’s fuel import bill and called for the completion of Kondo Dam which would help increase production.