$12 million needed to set up fruit processing plant at Esigodini
BEST Fruit Processors needs about $12 million to set up its state-of-the-art fruit processing plant at Esigodini in Matabeleland South Province.
The company’s general manager, Engineer Smart Zongololo said the fruit processor was looking forward to the success of its Norton plant to catapult the preliminary work on the setting up of its Esigodini factory.
Best Fruit Processors is a joint venture company formed between Beitbridge Juicing Private Limited, a division of Schweppes Holdings Africa Limited and Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) last year.
Its Norton factory started operating late last year. It produces tomato paste and fruit purees, and has capacity to process 30 000 tonnes of raw fruit per year, processing 10 tonnes per hour.
“The Norton plant is our key focus at the moment to ensure that the Esigodini project benefits from the experience gained at the Norton plant. A more detailed operational and funding plan is still work in progress and broad objectives can be shared before the end of the year. We estimate funding to be around $12 million inclusive of out grower program in the region,” said Eng Zongololo.
Prime Seed Co deputy managing director Mr Patrick Mutandwa said the seed house had the requisite tomato varieties needed for the production of tomato paste by the fruit processor.
“We are into the production of Tomato Chibli F1 seed which is a high yielding tomato determinate (bush) variety with a 15-day shelf life. It has a brix of 6 percent making it a tomato of choice for the canning market.
“It’s firm round to oblate fruits of 125 grammes make it a good variety for both the fresh and processing market. It’s a short season variety which gives the farmer more production cycles a year and less handling and exposure of the plant to diseases,” he said.
The Chibli F1’s resistance to nematodes, tomato mosaic virus and fusarium wilt means the farmer is assured of good quality at a lower cost.
The other variety which Prime Seed Co produces for the production of paste is Tomatoe Pietrarossa F1 which is a very firm processing variety with high brix. It is pear shaped with fruits of 110 grammes.
It has a strong vine with very impressive yields and performs well in humid conditions. It has good resistance to bacterial speck.
Around 70 percent of Best Fruit Processors manufactured products would be for the export market while the remainder will cater for the domestic market. Namibia is especially keen to find investors in tomato paste production to support its fish industry.
It has a huge industry exporting fresh and canned fish.
With a 1 572 kilometre coastline, Namibia has a strong fishery industry. Fish and fish products represent 25 percent of the country’s exports which are primarily to Europe and Asia, mainly to industry in Malaysia, China and Japan. Its main products include cultured fish, mussels, abalone, sea cucumber and urchin. The industry has recently ventured into aquaculture to produce black and red tilapia, African catfish and carps.