The Chronicle

BULAWAYO, Thursday, October 26, 1967 — Equipment costing £8 000 has been bought by the West Nicholson factory of Liebig’s (Rhodesia) Ltd, for the production of tomato paste.

The equipment consists of two stainless steel evaporators made in South Africa, the managing director of Liebigs, Mr WN Wells, said yesterday.

It was decided to buy the evaporators, he said, when it was found the evaporating plant designed for meat extract, recently installed at a cost of £30 000, was unsuitable for tomato paste.

About 18 months ago he decided that instead of importing tomato paste, steps should be taken to manufacture it in Rhodesia.

He visited tomato producers and tomato paste factories in South Africa.

After studying the economics of growing and production, it was decided to start a pilot scheme using the stainless steel evaporating plant installed for meat extract.

Local farmers were approached to grow a few acres of tomatoes for the scheme but the price offered — the same as that paid in South Africa — was not sufficiently interesting.

It was then decided to grow about 109 acres of tomatoes on factory land to prove to farmers that with yields of 15 to 20 tonnes per acre, prices became “interesting.”

There was a heavy yield and interest among farmers was stimulated, Mr Wells said.

The tomatoes were processed into pulp at the West Nicholson factory, but the evaporating plant for meat extract proved unsuitable for tomato paste. As the scheme showed reasonable promise, however, it was decided to buy the new evaporators for £8 000.

Two farmers near West Nicholson, Mr Guy HiltonBarber and Mr Jack Rogers decided to plant about 55 acres — nearly the required amount of tomatoes for the first large-scale production trials.