GOVERNMENT in conjunction with development partners has set up the country’s first state-of-the-art mopani worm processing plant in Matshiloni area in Beitbridge District, Matabeleland South.
The amacimbi processing plant is part of the Second
Republic’s life-changing interventions in rural communities and is in line with
the national thrust to promote value addition and beneficiation.
When a Chronicle news crew visited the facility recently, some
packaged amacimbi was ready for the market.
The factory is equipped with a modern machinery consisting
of a washing machine, a dryer, a bleaching and packaging machine, which were
sourced from China.
Completed in March, the plant has a solar powered well,
dryer for the worms, reservoir and a packing factory. Although the centre is
yet to be officially opened by President Mnangagwa, it has already started
operating.
The processing centre is a business hub that providing
services, business information and training to all community members involved
in the amacimbi value chain.
Situated in a province that sits on the edge of the
Kalahari Desert, ecological regions four and five, characterised by a low
rainfall, the facility is a game changer for the local community particularly
vulnerable groups such as widows, orphans, the elderly and people living with
HIV/Aids.
Rovhona Raita Co-operative comprising 18 local women, among
them widows and youths, initiated the setting up of the processing plant, which
is beginning to change their lives.
The project, which is run under the name Mbvelelo (Private)
Limited, fits well into the devolution concept which promotes the economic
growth of local economies driven by resources within different communities.
It is part of the Youth and Women Empowerment Project Youth
and Women Economic (E4WAY), a rural economic empowerment initiative which is a
partnership between Government, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the
International Labour Organisation (ILO).
AfDB injected $100 000 in the project while ILO is
providing technical assistance. Rovhona Raita Co-operative Cooperative is one
of the E4WAY target groups identified in seven of the poorest districts of the
country.
These are Beitbridge (amacimbi), Marondera and Lupane
(honey), Guruve (artisanal gold ore milling), Mutasa, Chimanimani, and Mutoko
(horticulture).
According to ILO, an estimated combined population of 650
000 with at least 5 000 youths aged between 15 to 35 years and women over 35
years are benefiting from E4WAY and its selected value chains.
The direct project beneficiaries include youth and women
run SMEs, associations, cooperatives and Vocational Training Centres.
Mbvelelo (Pvt) Ltd board member Mrs Fadzai Muvhango said
the amacimbi processing project is transforming local lives. She has managed to
enrol her children in university through the profits realised from the project.
“This project came as a huge relief to many local women who
previously struggled financially. When we started this project in 2000 we were
42, but the number went down to 18. Government through the Ministry Women
Affairs, Community and Small and Medium Enterprises Development, sourced
equipment and other accessories for our factory,” she said.
“We buy amacimbi and process them at our plant where we
thoroughly purify and dry them before packaging them. We have widows, the
elderly and youths in this project and the money that we are generating from
this project has changed our lives.”
Mrs Muvhango said they supply supermarkets across the
country. She however, said due to the lockdown regulations, they are facing
challenges in terms of accessing some markets.
“We package according to a client’s specifications. In
fact, we package in packs of 100g for US$1 and 250g which cost US$2. Currently,
we have a lot of stock piling in our warehouse, but because of lockdown we
cannot access some of our markets,” she said.
Rovhona Raita Co-operative secretary Ms Carol Mari said:
“As women we are now able to fend for our families. This project is poised to
economically transform the face of our district. Initially we used to do barter
trade but now we are selling our produce. We hope that we will be able export
our products and earn more foreign currency for the country.”
Ms Mari said most of their members were widows and single
mothers who struggled to raise money for school fees and food.
“We struggled to put food on the table, but with such a
vibrant project, we are now able to raise money for schools and put food on the
table and all the credit goes to Government and its partners,” she said.
Beitbridge West MP Cde Ruth Maboyi said the project is
changing many lives in Beitbridge and the province at large.
“We have some people coming all the way from Gwanda and
Matobo districts to supply amacimbi particularly this year when Beitbridge
didn’t get much in terms of harvesting amacimbi. This project is a commitment
by Government to empower women in rural areas in line with the devolution
policy,” she said.
Cde Maboyi said the project is also a vehicle for
addressing rural unemployment and gender inequality. Chronicle
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