President Emmerson Mnangagwa has launched the state of the art Fertilizer Blender Plant at Zimbabwe Phosphate Industries (ZimPhos) in Msasa with capacity of producing 200 000 tonnes of basal fertilizers per annum.
ZimPhos is wholly owned by Government through Chemplex Corporation Limited which is also owned 100% Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe.
The development is part of government’s Five-Year Fertilizer Import Substitution Roadmap which is expected to see the country save US$ 250 million per year which was being spent on the importation of the commodity.
Speaking at the launch in Msasa today, the President said the fertilizer produced will also be supplied towards the Presidential Input (Pfumvudza) program of 180 000 tonnes and Command Agriculture of 150 000 tonnes of NPK Basal fertilizer requirements.
“This new blending plant is testimony that investors are responding to the clarion call for accelerated innovation, research and development riding on the science, technology and innovation ecosystem established under the Second Republic,”
“The Second Republic is rendering support to the Fertilizer Import Substitution Strategy through the provision of stimulus packages, access to supply contracts for Government farming programmes, tax exemptions on raw material imports and Government guarantees to access money for capital expenditure.”
Already, Treasury and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe have mobilised over US$70 million in lines of credit for the importation of raw materials, which include 6 fertilizer and agro-chemicals, in support of enhanced agricultural production and productivity.
A New State of the Art fertilizer granulation plant with a capacity to produce 120 000 tonnes of fertilizers annually has been procured. The plant is currently being imported and will be installed in September 2022.
These two plants have capacity to produce and supply about 50% of the required national basal fertilizer demand and will employ an additional 200 people while benefiting downstream support industries.
“I commend the Industrial Development Corporation for their commitment to install a fertilizer granulation plant at Zimbabwe Phosphate Industries. This, complemented by the blending plant that I have commissioned today will have an inherent capacity to produce and supply about fifty percent of the current national demand for Basal fertilizer,” said Mnangagwa.
Fertilizers increase plant productivity and development through boosting growth, accelerating maturation, enhancing resistance, and improving the quality of fruits and seeds, leading to better harvests and earnings
The current high cost of fertilizers is proving to be a key bottleneck for our farmers. This is more so for our small-holder and communal farmers as they usually cannot afford the high prices of fertilizers.
The current Geo-political environment in Eastern Europe has led to disruptions in agro-supply chains in most countries, including Zimbabwe and has brought the need for the development of stronger value chains in the fertilizer industry, leveraging on the country’s rich resource endowments.
