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Cletus Mushanawani and Nesia Mhaka
INDUSTRY and Commerce Minister, Sekesai Nzenza has hailed Irvine’s Zimbabwe for embracing technology in a massive way that has helped generate $1,7 billion annual revenue for small-scale farmers across the country.

Minister Nzenza toured the country’s largest chicken and egg producer, yesterday and urged other corporates to emulate the good work which Irvine’s is doing as it employs over 2 000 workers while producing more than 50 percent of the day-old chicks in the country.

“As the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, we encourage industry to be innovative and retool in terms of skills and use of modern technology to increase production like we are seeing here at Irvine’s. Failure to do so will lead to the death of the industry.

“Imagine if Irvine’s has not been moving with technology from the days of inception in the 1950s we wouldn’t be here today. Our vision is to have a highly industrialised, technologically advanced and diversified Zimbabwean economy by 2025, which will lead to the fulfilment of the President’s Vision of Middle Income State by 2030,” said Minister Nzenza.

From humble beginnings in a garage, Irvine’s Zimbabwe has nurtured the poultry industry to be one of the largest sectors in agriculture.

The company runs two primary schools, a clinic and provides decent accommodation for its workforce.

“We have also seen a huge investment in infrastructure, which I also want to urge other corporates to emulate. This includes housing and amenities for staff and workers with power, sewer and water reticulation, a modern clinic staffed by State registered nurses and schools.

“I am told there are 29 houses for management, 17 on Derbyshire and 12 on Lanark Farm, a total of 704 five roomed worker houses with power and water supplies clustered at Derbyshire, Carnock and Lanark village communities. All this is done to take care of the employees’ welfare.

“This makes the employees to be more focussed and diligent in the exercise of their duties, consequently boosting company productivity. The infrastructural investments lessen the burden on Government and as Ministry of Industry and Commerce, we always welcome such initiatives,” said Minister Nzenza.

Irvine’s Zimbabwe chief executive Mr David Irvine said his company was committed to empowering local farmers by supporting them with Cobb Broilers, nutritional products, animal health products, equipment, technical support and training.

He said they were on a mission to change lives in Africa by producing affordable protein and growing businesses in the country.

“Wherever Irvine’s works, we work to uplift and empower communities. We do this by investing in training programmes to assist people — particularly the youth — to develop skills and earn income. Irvine’s are seeding prosperity in rural areas whilst nourishing the entrepreneurial spirit of Africa,” he said

“We have been producing chicken in Southern Africa since the 1950s and since then, our company has grown from a single room in a home to producing over 2 million day-old chicks per week across Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana and Tanzania. With roots in Zimbabwe, Irvine’s has expanded to cater for Africa’s growing appetite for good quality protein.”

As part of Irvine’s economic empowerment initiatives, about 35 percent of Irvine’s day-old chick production are grown by contract farmers. These farmers grow the broilers on behalf of the company and bring them back to the Irvine’s processing plant for slaughter, thereby guaranteeing them with a ready market.

The farmers are required to adhere to Irvine’s and Government’s strict veterinary bio-security standards in order to adhere to quality assurance.

The remaining 65 percent of chick production is sold to small-scale farmers in the rural areas who grow the birds and sell them locally.