Bulawayo – Fats and Feeds Private Limited is nearing completion of a cooking oil processing plant in Bulawayo, with construction approximately 85 percent complete and production targeted for December.

The investment is set to strengthen local supply chains, create jobs and expand Zimbabwe’s agro-processing capacity under the Government’s industrialisation and devolution agenda.

The facility, which focuses on cooking oil production and water packaging, will process soya beans into cooking oil while integrating grain storage, extraction, refining and bottling operations. It also houses grain silos with a capacity of 5,000 metric tonnes each.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Zhemu Soda, who toured the facility during a media engagement organised by his ministry, said the investment carried significant implications for Bulawayo’s industrial economy, particularly through employment creation, increased production and stronger linkages between agriculture and manufacturing.

He said the project had the potential to contribute to the city’s economic output while creating opportunities for local farmers through proposed outgrower schemes supplying soya beans and sunflower, key raw materials for the plant.

“At present, the company is importing some of these inputs due to limited local availability. This is an encouraging development, particularly given the potential to stimulate local agricultural production and strengthen linkages between the agricultural and manufacturing sectors,” Dr Soda said.

The proposed integration of agricultural production and industrial processing offers an opportunity to develop a more connected domestic value chain, reducing reliance on imported raw materials while creating a market for locally produced oilseeds.

Fats and Feeds Sub-Manager, Zakaria Mupachike said construction was progressing towards commissioning, with approximately 65 percent of the required machinery already delivered and the remaining equipment expected as the project advances.

The facility will incorporate a crushing plant, extraction section, refinery and bottling operation. The minister and members of the media were taken through the entire process, from the preparatory stage through the refinery to the bottling line.

Mupachike said the project was already generating significant employment, with 276 workers on site during the minister’s visit, the majority drawn from Bulawayo.

“Once the facility becomes operational, we expect to employ between 300 and 400 people directly at this site,” he said.

He added that only 4 percent of the current workers are from Harare while 96 percent are locals. It was also revealed that the contractor is a locally born and bred young man, signalling youth empowerment.

“The majority of workers employed are young men and women, although the number of women is slightly low because of the nature of the work done at the site. Empowering the youths is our mandate as you can see on site,” Mupachike said.

Beyond direct employment, the company anticipates wider economic opportunities for surrounding communities through transport, logistics and small businesses servicing workers and truck operators.

“So this project is aiding in employment creation and removing idle youths from the streets,” Mupachike said.

As part of its industrialisation drive, the company has gone green, incorporating solar energy into its operations, with rooftop installations and plans for an adjacent solar power plant.

“There is a hybrid of everything while also being environmentally friendly,” Mupachike said.

Dr Soda said the involvement of a young local contractor in delivering the development also demonstrated the role of emerging entrepreneurs in driving industrial investment and creating economic opportunities.

On market prospects, the minister said the government wanted domestic producers to look beyond Zimbabwe’s borders, leveraging regional trading opportunities to expand the reach of locally manufactured products.

“Our focus should, therefore, not be limited to the domestic market. We must also position local producers to access and compete in markets beyond Zimbabwe,” he said.

Dr Soda was accompanied by his deputy Dr Omphile Marupi, Permanent Secretary Mr Nick Mangwana and several other senior Government officials.

For Bulawayo, the project adds another dimension to the city’s industrial landscape, with its anticipated commissioning bringing together manufacturing, agricultural supply chains, energy investment and employment creation under one development.